Two 6-3 teams that can't find the brakes meet in Columbus.
Northwestern Wildcats (6-3) arrive on a two-game losing streak, and Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) are riding the same skid. Kickoff is Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Ohio Stadium, with Fox carrying the broadcast.
Game details
| When | Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET |
| Where | Ohio Stadium |
| TV | Fox |
| Line | Ohio State Buckeyes -14 | O/U 44.5 (market view) |
| Northwestern Wildcats record | 6-3 |
| Ohio State Buckeyes record | 6-3 |
The matchup
Northwestern's slide has come against ranked-level competition. The Wildcats lost 10-24 to the Iowa Hawkeyes at home in week 10, then fell 26-34 on the road to the Oregon Ducks in week 9. Before that stretch they were rolling, with a 42-14 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, a 24-21 win at the Michigan State Spartans, and a 45-14 win over the Ball State Cardinals.
Ohio State's two losses came by bigger margins. The Buckeyes fell 28-41 at home to Oregon in week 10 and 18-30 on the road against the USC Trojans in week 9. Prior to that they won three straight: 19-15 at the Indiana Hoosiers, 45-16 over the Maryland Terrapins at home, and 31-14 at Iowa.
Key matchups
This one comes down to which season-long trend breaks first. Ohio State's offense has put up 321 points this season against a defense allowing 165, the kind of split that should matter against a Northwestern defense that has given up 174 points on the year.
Northwestern's own offense has scored 279 points this season, which gives it a puncher's chance if it can move the ball against an Ohio State defense that has limited opponents more often than not. Whichever side wins the battle between Ohio State's scoring offense and Northwestern's defense figures to decide the afternoon.
The pick
Ohio State is favored by 14.0 points with the total set at 44.5, and the market score has the Buckeyes winning 29-15. The scoring numbers back that up: Ohio State has outscored opponents by a wider margin this season than Northwestern has, even while both teams limp in on two-game losing streaks.
Northwestern has shown it can still put points on the board, as the 42-14 and 45-14 wins earlier in the year show, so a backdoor cover isn't out of the question. But with Ohio State's defense allowing fewer points against than Northwestern allows, the edge here goes to the home team.
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Northwestern Wildcats | Wk10 L 10-24 vs Iowa Hawkeyes, Wk9 L 26-34 vs Oregon Ducks, Wk8 W 42-14 vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | Wk10 L 28-41 vs Oregon Ducks, Wk9 L 18-30 vs USC Trojans, Wk7 W 19-15 vs Indiana Hoosiers |
Written by Cole Saturday, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores and box scores), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.