Ohio State gets Northwestern on Saturday, and there’s more to watch here than just a team trying to stop a two-game skid. The Wildcats arrive at 6-3, 3-3 with former Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on the other sideline, and they’ll have to navigate the matchup without their starting quarterback again.
Aidan Chiles will miss his second straight game because of injury. The Oregon State and Michigan State transfer has been a major reason Northwestern has stayed afloat this season, throwing for 1,898 yards with 13 touchdowns and only one interception while adding 274 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground. With Chiles sidelined, Nicco Marchiol started against Iowa and should be in line to start again Saturday.
Kelly’s return to Columbus adds another layer to the game. He was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator during the 2024 national championship run before leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders, where he was fired in the same season he was hired.
He later landed at Northwestern and has done well there. In 2024, Ohio State averaged 37.2 points and 429.4 total yards per game.
In 2026, Northwestern is averaging 33.6 points and 438.1 yards per game.
One of the biggest problems for Ohio State’s defense will be Griffin Wilde. The Northwestern receiver has 49 catches for 813 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he’s averaging 16.6 yards per catch.
Over his career at South Dakota State and Northwestern, Wilde has piled up 211 receptions for 3,246 yards and 31 touchdowns. Keeping him in check will be a major job for the Buckeyes’ secondary.
Northwestern also enters the game with a new stadium situation that has drawn attention around college football. Ryan Field is gone in its old form, replaced by a new stadium using the same name.
On Sept. 22, 2021, Northwestern announced that the Ryan family had donated $480 million to the university to replace Ryan Field with a new stadium at the existing site.
The university estimated the project would generate a $1.3 billion economic impact for the Chicago area, including $659 million in economic impact to Evanston.
And while the game is in Columbus, Northwestern’s football history still carries one of the sport’s most infamous marks: a 34-game losing streak from 1979 to 1982. That remains the longest losing streak in college football history.
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Guardians Bullpen Need Has Put A Proven Veteran On Clevelands Radar
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For the Guardians, the fit is easy to see. They have room to add to the relief group and have been looking for depth that can soak up meaningful innings, especially from the left side. Hill is also being pursued by the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Dodgers, which suggests this could turn into a broader market for a pitcher who still has value even if he is no longer at his peak. [Read more 🡒]