3 reasons the Buckeyes will rout Northwestern
By Alec Hartman
The Ohio State Buckeyes advance to the Big Ten Championship to face off with the Big Ten West king Northwestern Wildcats.
The road to the Big Ten Championship may not have been long but it certainly felt like it. The oddest aspect of the whole ordeal has been the Buckeyes‘ undefeated record not translating to control of their own destiny. The Buckeyes have been competitively challenged just once in five games this season, yet their reputation alone has been what has saved them from falling out of the postseason picture.
In case anyone had any doubts regarding the College Football Playoff committee’s intentions, this season has made it clear that they play favorites as much as the next person when valuing teams for championship contention. Fortunately, there has not been much fallout this season as a result of all the craziness going on. The best teams have looked the part while close contenders have played their way out of the gray area so no feelings would be hurt.
One team in particular that has had some juice this season is the Cincinnati Bearcats as they’ve remained undefeated through eight games. Being undefeated holds great merit but the horses need to be held when submitting them for College Football Playoff conversation. The Bearcats are undefeated but they haven’t won impressively versus any impressive opponents.
The Bearcats were given plenty of opportunities last season to prove they’re deserving some weight when running with the big boys. However, they failed mightily where they needed to impress the most. The Bearcats lost 42-0 to the Buckeyes early in the season and went on to lose to the Memphis Tigers twice in two weeks to end the season. If the Bearcats can’t even consistently prove they’re the big dog in their conference, then why should anyone think they’re ready to face the best of the power five conferences?
The Buckeyes have felt the hammer of the College Football Playoff committee come down on them as well when they fell out of grace in 2016. The Buckeyes had garnered so much trust from the committee in 2016 that they were let into the playoff without even winning their conference just to get flattened 31-0 by Clemson in the first round. What followed was the Buckeyes winning their conference championship in the following two years just to be left out of the playoffs in both.
The Buckeyes were idle in the week leading up to the Big Ten Championship while the Wildcats handled their in-state rival Illinois. It’s fair to assume the Wildcats may be coming into this game with some momentum following their recent win. However, the Buckeyes have just as much wind in their sails coming off what was their most dominant win of the season. The Buckeyes ran over Michigan State by a margin of 50 points.
This will be the 79th time the Buckeyes and Wildcats have shared the gridiron while it is the second time in three years the two have met in the Big Ten Championship. The Buckeyes won the last match up by three touchdowns in clear dominance. As with every week this season, everything is on the line for the Buckeyes as they take one step closer to a second chance in the College Football Playoff semifinal.