Viewing Guide: How to watch Ohio State play Northwestern for Big Ten title

COLUMBUS — It took a winding path to get here, but Ohio State is back playing in the Big Ten Championship.

Sitting at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings and with a Saturday matchup with No. 14 Northwestern on the way, the Buckeyes are in position for a semifinal berth with a win over the Wildcats. 

The outside noise about seeding will flood the airwaves through the Big Ten Championship and into Sunday, but Ohio State can only control its own performance. That starts with focusing on Northwestern and Northwestern alone.

Yes, a wide margin of victory would help the Ohio State case and eliminate doubt. No, that can’t be the mindset for the Buckeyes going into the game. College football’s best chaos comes when teams assume wins.

“If you were to win by one point in the NFL every week, you go undefeated, you win the Super Bowl — that’s all that matters,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Sunday. “But college football is different, and this year it’s even more strange. All we’re going to do is worry about winning and doing the best we can taking it one play at a time.

“Talked to the team about that this week. If we start to go into a game trying to do anything other than just win one play at a time, you can get yourself sideways. We’ll just focus on that, one play at a time, and then at the end of the game we’ll look up and see where we’re at.”

A dramatic turnaround from its 1-8 conference record a year ago, Northwestern enters as 6-1 Big Ten West champions with Indiana transfer Peyton Ramsey leading a revamped offense. Still, the Buckeyes enter Saturday as heavy favorites against one of the conference’s best defenses.

“We’ve had extra time to prepare for them, we started game-planning for them a little bit last week,” Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields said Sunday. “I think we have a pretty good knock on what they’re going to do on defense. But they do a lot of stuff on defense. They’re very disciplined on defense, they’re well-coached and they don’t really make any mistakes. We’re just going to have to execute on our side of the ball and play as hard as we can.”

Fields accounted for 202 total yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s 52-3 win in Evanston last year. Saturday is the second meeting between the Buckeyes and Wildcats in the Big Ten Championship; Ohio State won the previous matchup 45-24 in 2018.

For anyone watching the game on TV or listening to the radio, Lettermen Row has all the viewing information that could possibly be needed to not miss a moment of the Buckeyes’ quest for a fourth-consecutive Big Ten title.

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Ohio State vs. Northwestern game time, details

Ohio State leads the all-time series 63-14-1 and has won eight-straight games versus the Wildcats. Northwestern’s last win in the series came in 2004 when it defeated the Buckeyes 33-27 in Evanston.

• Time: Noon ET
• Date: Saturday, Dec. 19
• Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Weather: 41 degrees with a 45 percent chance of precipitation (indoor game)
• The line: Ohio State is a 20.5-point favorite, per VegasInsider
• Over/under: 57.5 points

What TV channel is Ohio State against Northwestern on?

The Buckeyes and Wildcats matchup will be televised on FOX with Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (color analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline) on the call.

How can Ohio State against Northwestern be watched online?

The game can be streamed online at FoxSports.com.

What radio station carries the Buckeyes game?

Paul Keels, Jim Lachey and Matt Andrews will have the call on the Ohio State Sports Radio Network 97.1 FM (WBNS). A full list of radio affiliates can be found here.

Miss any Lettermen Row coverage so far this week?

• Whatever Ohio State needs, Baron Browning gives ‘without batting an eye’
• Buckeyes only focus is making CFP statements on field, not soapbox
• Five Questions as Buckeyes open Championship Season against Northwestern
• What We Learned as Buckeyes gear up for Big Ten title game
• Breaking down B1G title matchup, CFP race, Dabo’s villainy
• BuckIQ: Invaluable to Ohio State, Pete Werner deserves more national respect
• What Big Ten offensive awards got right, wrong for Buckeyes
• National Signing Day primer: Buckeyes ready to ink Big Ten’s best class
• CFP makes stakes clear for Ohio State: Win Big Ten, punch playoff ticket
• Ohio State signing day position grades, recent Buckeyes comparisons
• What Big Ten defensive awards got right, wrong for Buckeyes
• Buckeyes poised to bury another Big Ten title-game foe
• Fascinating future lined up as Buckeyes become marquee QB destination