Ohio State gets Northwestern on Saturday, and the Wildcats bring more than just a 6-3 record into Columbus. They arrive with a backup quarterback situation, a dangerous receiver, and Chip Kelly back in the building after a championship run with the Buckeyes.
The biggest change for Northwestern is at quarterback. Aidan Chiles, who has been a major reason the Wildcats have stayed afloat this season, is out again with an injury.
The Oregon State and Michigan State transfer has put together a strong year, throwing for 1,898 yards with 13 touchdowns and only one interception. He has also added 274 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Nicco Marchiol started last week against Iowa and should be in line to start again Saturday.
Kelly’s return adds another layer to the matchup. He is back in Columbus as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator after helping Ohio State win the 2024 national championship in the same role. After leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders, Kelly was fired that same season before landing at Northwestern, where the offense has taken off.
The numbers back that up. Ohio State averaged 37.2 points and 429.4 total yards per game in 2024 with Kelly calling the shots. Northwestern is averaging 33.6 points and 438.1 yards per game in 2026.
And then there is Griffin Wilde, who has become one of the Big Ten’s toughest wideouts to handle. Wilde has 49 catches for 813 yards and five touchdowns this season, averaging 16.6 yards per catch. Across his time at South Dakota State and Northwestern, he has 211 receptions for 3,246 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Ohio State’s secondary will have to be sharp all game if it wants to keep Wilde from taking over.
Northwestern also comes in with a new home, even if this game is being played in Columbus. The Wildcats opened a new stadium this season under the Ryan Field name, a major upgrade for the program.
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 projected the project would generate a $1.3 billion economic impact for the Chicago area, including $659 million for Evanston.
There is also a historical note attached to the program’s old home. In the early 1980s, Northwestern endured a 34-game losing streak from 1979 to 1982, and that remains the longest losing streak in college football history.
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For West Virginia fans, the bigger takeaway is how quickly the quarterback conversation can change from one Saturday to the next. With Michael Hawkins Jr., Isaiah Marshall and Devon Dampier among the names set to factor into the next round of games, the race for the top eight is still fluid, and the Mountaineers will be watching closely to see which arms keep climbing and which ones slip after a rough weekend. [Read more 🡒]