Ohio State is among the elite college football programs of all time, claiming eight national championships and 36 Big Ten titles.
RELATED:Â Everything Urban Meyer said in his Monday press conference
The only private school in the Big Ten, Northwestern has about one third as many students as Ohio State, which was founded âto promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classesâ as a land-grant university.
Of course winning is important to Northwestern fans, but they have been known to chant, âThatâs all right, thatâs okay/youâre gonna pump our gas some dayâ after watching their team come up short again.
Ohio State leads the all-time series 61-14-1 and has won 30 of the last 31 meetings between the programs.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald, a former Northwestern linebacker, referred to his alma mater a âwhite collar school with a blue collar mentality as a football teamâ during a conference call this week.
While Ohio State has signed the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten eight years in a row, Northwesternâs average ranking in that time is roughly No. 9, according to 247Sports.com.
That site measures Ohio State as the most-talented team in the country this season while the Wildcats are ninth in the Big Ten and No. 46 overall.
.@OSUCoachMeyer talks Northwestern matchup, Michigan blowout and more @marcushartman https://t.co/n5rxkmYXg0 pic.twitter.com/ZpPqvIDhOc
— WHIO-TV (@whiotv) November 27, 2018
The Buckeyes are led by their high-scoring offense while Northwestern is a defense-first team. The Wildcats are the least-penalized team in the Big Ten while Ohio State is the second-most, but the squads do have at least one thing in common.
The Buckeyes and the Wildcats both had their share of inconsistencies en route to Indianapolis.
Northwestern started the season by beating Purdue 31-27, but that was followed by losses at home to Duke and Akron, teams that went a combined 11-12 in the regular season.
After blowing a 17-0 lead against Michigan in Week 4, the Wildcats were 1-3. Now they are Big Ten West champions for the first time.
Ohio State lives up to expectations, cancels Michiganâs ârevenge tourâ https://t.co/MlPa9MB3Uo pic.twitter.com/hOly1wiA0h
— daytonsports (@daytonsports) November 25, 2018
Although Northwestern has won seven of its last eight, that successful stretch has not exactly been dominating.
While the Wildcats beat Michigan State and Wisconsin by double digits, they took down Nebraska (4-8) and Rutgers (1-11) by only three points apiece.
Northwestern also mixed in a 10-point loss to undefeated Notre Dame along the way, and they beat Illinois by only eight points a week ago while resting some regulars.
âI really donât think itâs anything magical,â Fitzgerald said of the teamâs turnaround. âThe kids just rolled their sleeves up and went to work.
âYou can only control the controllable, and if you went back and watched especially the Akron and Duke games, we beat ourselves. We didnât play very well. We didnât coach very well. We didnât execute. It was very disappointing. I think our leadership really stepped up. They just kept grinding and working to get better and the credit all goes to our players.â
LISTEN: Urban Meyer, Pat Fitzgerald talk Big Ten championship game https://t.co/nrWeQYd3n1
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) November 25, 2018
Now Fitzgerald knows there is a whole new challenge awaiting.
âEvery skill guy can score just by catching a hitch,â he said of Ohio State, a 62-39 winner over Michigan last week after a season of ups and downs on and off the field. âEvery guy in the backfield by making one guy miss can take it to the house. (Quarterback Dwayne Haskins) is just so efficient. His touchdown to interception ratio is absolutely incredible.
âWeâre gonna have our hands full. Thereâs no doubt about that.â
SATURDAYâS GAME
Ohio State vs. Northwestern, 8:17 p.m., FOX, 1410
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