Overview
- Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium in Columbus and the game will be televised on FOX with streaming available on FOX One, FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.
- Betting markets make Ohio State a double-digit favorite with spreads reported around 12.5–14 points and totals set in the mid-40s, while a SportsLine model that ran 10,000 simulations projects about 50 combined points and favors the Over roughly 63 percent of the time.
- Ohio State will start quarterback Luke Fahey with Julian Sayin out indefinitely, and Northwestern is expected to start Nicco Marchiol in place of Aidan Chiles, making quarterback availability a key pregame storyline.
- The Buckeyes are coming off consecutive losses for the first time since 2011 and need a win to keep alive a narrow path to the Big Ten Championship and a possible College Football Playoff berth, with receiver Jeremiah Smith poised to be a primary scoring target after finding the end zone in all but one game this season.
- Ohio State’s long dominance of the series — a 22–1 all-time record and an 11-game win streak over Northwestern — frames expectations for the home team and means a loss would effectively close off most of the Buckeyes’ late-season title and playoff routes.