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The fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are heavy favorites over the No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats heading into Saturday’s Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. With a victory, Ohio State will likely punch its ticket into the College Football Playoff, despite coming in with just a 5-0 record. For Northwestern, it is 6-1 this season looking for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game. This game will kick off at noon ET and can be seen on FOX.
There should be plenty of action coming in on this game with a limited college football slate that features conference titles and some teams just closing out their regular season.
So where are sports bettors going as we get closer to game time? Let’s take a look. All odds and info were provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Point Spread
Ohio State checks in as 19-point favorites in this game, and that’s where the majority of bettors are going. Of all the wagers placed on the point spread in this matchup, 70% of the bets are on the Buckeyes as well as 74% of the betting handle.
Is the public right? I’m not confident in it, but I’m siding with the public in this spot. While Northwestern is led by its defense that ranks sixth in the country in yards per play, it hasn’t seen an offense even close to what Ohio State will bring. The Buckeyes aren’t great defensively, but Northwestern struggles to move the ball and I don’t see the Wildcats offense making enough plays to keep this within striking distance for four quarters.
Over/Under
The point total for the Big Ten title game is set at 56.5 and as you’d expect, the betting public likes the over. Of all the bets on the over/under in this game, 72% of bets are on the over with 60% of the handle.
Is the public right? I’m against the public in this one. For Northwestern to be competitive in this game, it has to lean on the ground game and move the chains with long, sustained drives. While I don’t think that will be successful all game long, I do think the Wildcats can do that once or twice to limit possessions, causing this game to go under the total.
Moneyline
To win this game outright, Ohio State’s odds are set at -1000, while Northwestern is at +600 to pull off this upset. Ninety percent of bets are on Ohio State with 91% of the handle.
Is the public right? Yes. Ohio State will win this game. Let’s not get crazy.
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