Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images How strange and topsy-turvy has this pandemic season in college football been? So strange that College Football Playoff berths are on the line Saturday and the best bets to get into the four-team field are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Wait, that isn’t strange at all. But everything else has been as three-sheets-to-the-wind as your Uncle Earl at after-hours karaoke, OK? Conferences opening play on totally different schedules. Countless game postponements and cancellations, including at least three (Purdue-Indiana, Michigan-Iowa, Michigan State-Maryland) in the Big Ten during this newfangled ‘‘Champions Week.’’ Star players opting out. Star coaches testing positive. On and on, yet here we are.
Big Ten Championship: Ohio State vs Northwestern 12/19/20 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions
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College Football: Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 12:00 pm (Lucas Oil Stadium)
The Ohio State Buckeyes face off with the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten college football championship game on Saturday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Northwestern Wildcats punched their spot in the conference title game for the 2nd time in three years after finishing with an overall record of 9-1 on the year. Peyton Ramsey threw for 1,218 yards, 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 59% passing while Drake Anderson led the Wildcats in rushing with 256 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Isaiah Bowser and Evan Hull each had 200+ rushing yards while Cam Porter had 174 rushing yards and 3 TDs. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman had 30 catches for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns while Kyric McGowan’s 30 grabs went for 333 receiving yards. Riley Lees and Jo
It hasn’t been a smooth or easy road getting there, with the start of the season delayed until late October and three of the Buckeyes’ final five regular-season games canceled, but thanks to their undefeated record in the five games they have played – and the Big Ten eliminating the six-game minimum that would have kept them out of the championship game – Ohio State has a chance to win its fourth straight conference title. If Ohio State beats Northwestern in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game, which will kick off at noon at Lucas Oil Stadium instead of the 8 p.m. start time from years past, the Buckeyes will also likely secure their berth in the College Football Playoff, whose participants will be selected on Sunday.
Dec 18, 2020
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey grew up around the Ohio State mystique, the son of a high school football coach in Cincinnati.
As others in the football-crazed state gathered round television sets to watch their beloved Buckeyes each weekend, Ramsey was never much of a fan. Still isn’t.
So on Saturday, the quarterback for No. 15 Northwestern will try to cap his college career by knocking No. 3 Ohio State off its Big Ten perch and perhaps out of the playoff.
“I was a Notre Dame fan growing up, but I was a Big Ten fan,” Ramsey said. “This will be my fifth time playing against them, it’s always been exciting. It’s always been fun to go out and compete against the big boys.”
Big Ten Championship: Northwestern vs Ohio State Picks
Dec 18, 2020 |
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The Ohio State Buckeyes might have some rust after playing just once in the last four weeks, but that shouldn t stop them from toppling Northwestern in the Big Ten title game.
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The Big Ten had to bend the rules a bit, but the Ohio State Buckeyes will be in the conference championship game for the fourth consecutive year. On the other side, Pat Fitzgerald keeps working his magic at Northwestern as the Wildcats return to the Big Ten title game for the second time in three years and are just one year removed from a three-win season.