Standings:
1.) Draper 30-13 (1-10 upset)
2.) Hoying 29-14 (3-8 upset)
3.) Seeberg 28-15 (3-8 upset)
3.) Schweinfurth 28-15 (1-10 upset)
For the last time this season, there's no top-5 victory, gold pants, conference championship, or Playoff advancement on the line when the Buckeyes play the Wildcats, but for a true championship contender, the sweet taste of victory is its own motivation. The taste is gonna move ya. And while the Buckeyes' Week 12 foe may lack the allure of the rest of Buckeyes' remaining opponents-to-be, the unique surroundings may give what would be an otherwise ho-hum week some more long lasting freshness. With essentially no room for error for the Buckeyes to extend their pre-Playoff season with a berth in the first division-less Big Ten Championship, here's to a Buckeye victory to make it last a little longer.
Seeberg: Will the real Georgia please stand up? Are they the team that bludgeoned the Longhorns or the team with two losses, a narrow escape against Kentucky, and a QB with 8 picks the last 4 games? The jury is still out on arguably the most talented team in all the land. However, the jury is also out on whether Nico will play for the Vols. Word is he’s practiced all week but hasn’t yet cleared concussion protocol. Either way, I expect “good Georgia” this week with their backs against the wall. Vols’ defense keeps it close, but UGA rarely loses between the hedges. UT: 13—UGA: 24
Seeberg: Ah yes, the 2024 edition of “let’s rank second tier SEC teams so other teams get a quality win”. Both teams play close games with solid defense and this one should be no different. First to 20 wins! Look for the Gamecocks’ D-line to force a turnover or two to help their offense with short fields. Mizzou: 13—SC: 20
Seeberg: I confess: I had 0 idea the sun devils were 7-2. Five of their 7 wins are by one possession: they are the anti-Nebraska. One win was even over a then-ranked Utah before their free fall. Traveling to K-State may be a different experience. The Wildcats no longer control their destiny after an upset loss to Houston and I think they will take their frustrations out on ASU. The slightly-further-west purple Wildcats roll. ASU: 20—KSU: 38
THE Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Northwestern Wildcats
Draper: The Buckeyes enter the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field for a match with the vaunted Wildcats in a game that could easily be a trap....but Northwestern just isn't any good. This whole experience is pretty dumb and gimmicky, but the Bucks need to just focus on taking care of business, stay healthy, and prepare for the final 2 weeks of the regular season. Northwestern struggles in pass defense, but I expect a healthy dose of Smash and Dash. Let's continue to see growth in the patchwork Oline as Howard has a pedestrian 250 and 2 through the air (and maybe 1 on the ground). Expect to see Brown and Sayin in the closing quarter and we turn our eyes toward top 5 (?) Indiana and TTUN. OSU: 42--NW: 10
Hoying: Last week was a great example of what happens when a title contender steps on the gas against a team with zero chance of beating them. This week the probability is more like 5%, but that's only because, unlike Purdue, Northwestern has something resembling a defense. So I guess the worst case scenario is something like the 2020 Big Ten Championship, when Ohio State kept banging their heads against the wall trying to pad Justin Fields's Heisman campaign stats one last time before finally acknowledging that the easy button to victory was running the damn ball. This year's Northwestern team is more vulnerable through the air, and thankfully there aren't any gale force winds in the forecast to force Ohio State's offense to become "CJ Stroud left, CJ Stroud right." Also, Northwestern's ostensible run defense may be a bit of a mirage, as they've played plenty of teams that just can't run the ball. Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa were all able to find some running room, so there's no reason the Buckeye rushing attack can't do the same barring the return of the Nebraska game plan (and offensive line execution). As long as the Buckeyes aren't dazzled by the shiny new rustbucket of a stadium venue, and their playmakers don't crash into any brick walls when stepping off the field of play, there's no reason this one has to be close. Go back and watch highlights of Dwayne Haskins. The table is set for Will Howard to feast if he's of a mind to. OSU: 42--NW: 3
Schweinfurth: The Silver Bullets are on a roll. Over 130 minutes of game time not allowing an offensive TD. Impressive. They even played with Knowles' 3-4 look last week. While it had mixed results, I'm pretty sure Sawyer/JTT and company weren't on the field when they ran it. Interesting wrinkle. Let's see if they run it back. I really can't see Northwestern doing much on offense. Northwestern is pretty good against the run this year, so let's see tons of Carnell, JJ, and Emeka. Get up big early and get the starters out. OSU: 52--NW: 6
Seeberg: I am looking out my hotel window on Clark St at Wrigley Field as I type this. Tons of Buckeye fans were in the lobby. O-H-I-O chants have already been heard out in the street. Suffice it to say this Northwestern “home” game will be nothing of the sort. Certainly hope the turf holds up, because injuries should be the only thing slowing the Buckeyes down. NW does have a top 20 rush defense, yet somehow Purdue took them to OT while only running it for a whopping 47 yards on 23 carries. In short, I think the ground game will take awhile to get some traction but I’d love to see the big boys up front wear the Wildcats down in the second half. NW had two weeks to prep for this one so some new/tweaked things may keep it interesting for a bit, but the Bucks should pull away by the 4th. Spread is 28.5, late cover it is! OSU: 45–NW: 10
Upset Special
Draper: Boston College over SMU
Hoying: Utah over Colorado
Schweinfurth: Wisconsin over Orgeon
Seeberg: Arkansas over Texas