Ohio State gets Northwestern on Saturday, and there’s more going on with the Wildcats than just the matchup in Columbus. The No. 20 Buckeyes are trying to snap out of a two-game skid against USC and Oregon, while Northwestern comes in at 6-3 and brings a few familiar faces and storylines with it.
The biggest personnel note is at quarterback. Aidan Chiles will miss his second straight game because of injury.
That’s a major blow for Northwestern, since the Oregon State and Michigan State transfer has been central to the offense’s success. He has thrown for 1,898 yards, 13 touchdowns and only one interception, and he has added 274 rushing yards and 10 more scores on the ground.
Nicco Marchiol started against Iowa and should be in line to start again Saturday.
Then there’s Chip Kelly, who returns to Columbus as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator after helping Ohio State win the 2024 national championship in that same role. Kelly left for the Las Vegas Raiders after that, but was fired the same season he was hired before landing at Northwestern.
The move has worked out well so far. Ohio State averaged 37.2 points and 429.4 total yards per game in 2024, and Northwestern is putting up 33.6 points and 438.1 yards per game in 2026.
Northwestern also has a real weapon at receiver in Griffin Wilde. He has become one of the more dangerous pass-catchers in the Big Ten, with 49 receptions for 813 yards and five touchdowns this season.
He’s averaging 16.6 yards per catch. Across his career at South Dakota State and Northwestern, Wilde has 211 catches for 3,246 yards and 31 touchdowns.
And while this game is in Columbus, Northwestern’s home setup has changed this season. A new stadium opened under the same Ryan Field name, replacing the old one at the existing site.
On Sept. 22, 2021, Northwestern announced that the Ryan family had donated $480 million to help make that happen.
The university said the project would create a $1.3 billion economic impact in the Chicago area, including $659 million in Evanston.
One more note from Northwestern’s past: in the early 1980s, the program endured a 34-game losing streak from 1979 to 1982. That remains the longest losing streak in college football history.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Receiver Problem Before Northwestern
The quarterback situation already had enough attention heading into Ohio States matchup with Northwestern, with both teams set to be without their starters under center because of injuries. But the Buckeyes may be dealing with a wider offensive shortage than expected, since three of their top six wide receivers are listed as questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that already looked like it would require some adjustment.
Brandon Inniss, Phillip Bell and Brock Boyd are all in question, while running back JaKobi Jackson and tight end Max LeBlanc remain sidelined. Northwestern is also shorthanded, with eight players out including starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and cornerback Josh Fussell, so this could turn into a game defined less by star power than by which side handles the attrition better and finds enough reliable options to function on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Week 10 Spiral Says Plenty About This Teams Ceiling
Ohio States Week 10 slide has turned into more than a bad stretch, it has become a clear reminder of how thin the margin is when the offense loses its rhythm. With three losses on the books and the Buckeyes trying to navigate life without quarterback Julian Sayin, the conversation around the program has shifted from weekly fixes to bigger questions about how high this team can actually climb in the Big Ten race.
The latest conference pecking order reflects that uncertainty, with Ohio State sitting eighth after Week 10 while other league contenders continue to build momentum around it. For a program that expects to be in the thick of every major postseason discussion, the current spiral says plenty about the ceiling this version of the Buckeyes can reach unless the pieces start coming together soon. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States 2027 Running Back Picture Just Got More Interesting
Ohio States 2027 running back board picked up a notable addition when Daylon Gordon, a four-star prospect from Wylie, Texas, committed to the Buckeyes after previously being pledged to Texas State. Gordon arrives with a Power 4 offer sheet and gives Ohio State another talented name to build around as the class starts to take shape.
Even with Gordon on board, the Buckeyes are not treating the position as settled. They are still pursuing more running backs for the 2027 class, which keeps the room competitive and leaves open the possibility that this group could grow into one of the more interesting pieces of the cycle. [Read more 🡒]