Ranked No. 2 in the latest AP and US LBM Coaches polls, as well as the College Football Playoff rankings, Ohio State will travel to the Windy City to take on Northwestern. Due to Ryan Field being totally rebuilt, the Wildcats are playing home games in a makeshift stadium on campus for the most part. However, this game as most already know will be played at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

Playing a football game in a stadium designed for baseball will present its challenges. Yes, the Chicago Bears played in Wrigley for years, but that was a long time ago and many changes have been made to the iconic venue. If you've ever taken a tour of Wrigley, you most likely got a chance to see the away team's locker room. It is small and outdated for a baseball roster of 25. I'm not sure how a football team of 80 plus will fit. Add in the close proximity of the stands in the endzone and Chip Kelly will have to be creative in the play calling so players don't go crashing into the fans three rows deep.

The game will be an interesting watch to be certain. Time to get ready for the Wildcats of Northwestern with our complete preview and prediction for the game.

Records and Broadcast Information

Records

Ohio State (8-1), Northwestern (4-5)

Broadcast Information

Date | Saturday, November 16Game Time | Noon ETNetwork | FoxVenue | Wrigley Field (Chicago, Illinois) Capacity - 41,649All-Time Series | Ohio State leads 65-14-1Last Meeting | Ohio State defeated Northwestern 21-7 in 2022

Ohio State Potential Game Plan for Victory

We'll start by stating the obvious... Northwestern is not a very good football team. The Wildcat's best win this season came against Maryland which has only four wins itself. Northwestern even had to go to overtime against one win Purdue to get a victory over the Boilermakers. That being said, Ohio State can't sleepwalk in this game. We've seen it happen before, a team that doesn't match up well on paper comes out fired up, catches the opposition looking ahead, and gets the upset.

For the Buckeyes to win, the team really just needs to stay focused on the task at hand. OSU has superior athletes at every position. Northwestern has a very underwhelming offense scoring only 19 points per game. However, quarterback Jack Lausch is somewhat of a duel threat. He is the second-leading rusher on the team with 312 yards on the ground. Throwing the ball is a different story for Lausch only completing 54 percent of his passes and just five touchdowns through the air. The Buckeye defense should have a field day.

Offensively, Ohio State will most likely move the ball with relative ease. The Wildcat defensive strength is found in its ability to stop the run only giving up a little over 100 yards per game but it's safe to say Northwestern hasn't seen a ground attack with two backs as talented as Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.

On the other hand, the Wildcats give up over 240 yards per game through the air. With the arsenal of weapons Will Howard has to choose from, Northwestern will have a hard time accounting for all the talented receivers. Maybe the weird Wrigley Field football dimensions in the endzone will create some problems, but it's doubtful. When it's all said and done, if the score is lopsided in favor of the Buckeyes, the team used a balance attack to ruin the Wildcat homecoming game.

Key Offensive Player for Ohio State

Will Howard - Quarterback

Will Howard has been excellent for the most part as the new starting quarterback for Ohio State. He's a fiery competitor, he learns quickly from his mistakes, completes 74 percent of his passes, and has 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions. But one thing has been holding him back from being elite... the deep ball. Howard consistently has receivers get open deep only to underthrow the pass. This will be a perfect week to take some shots downfield and work on leading those receivers to the promised land.

Key Defensive Player for Ohio State

Lathan Ransom - Safety

Lathan Ransom is a difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball. He's third on the team in tackles and that is after missing the Nebraska game. No. 8 seems to be all over the field at key points in the game. The Buckeyes will use Ransom on some blitz packages to keep Northwestern QB Jack Lausch guessing. A turnover would be icing on the cake for the Buckeye safety. He's forced five fumbles in his OSU career as well as picked off three passes.

The Prediction

How It’ll Play Out

Ohio State knows what's on the line. Even though the Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 in all the major polls, each week feels like it could be an elimination game. Two losses may not keep OSU out of the College Football Playoff, but it would certainly keep the team from playing in Indianapolis for a Big Ten Title and a shot at revenge against Oregon.

The Buckeyes know what's at stake and so I expect Ohio State to come out firing on all cylinders. This one has the same kind of feel as Purdue last week. The Bucks assert their will early on both sides of the ball and roll to an easy victory.

Final Score

Ohio State 47, Northwestern 6

Line: Ohio State -29.5

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs. Northwestern preview and prediction