The Buckeyes took care of business against Purdue, and will be going on the road for the final time this season, but this time not playing in a traditional football stadium when they take on Northwestern. Here are our top 5 questions going into this game.

1. Why couldn’t this game be played at Soldier Field?

I know that the Bears are hosting the Packers the next day, but at the same time, this just feels more like a novelty than it does a serious game in the most important stretch in the college football season. Northwestern is building a brand new stadium that will have a smaller capacity than Ryan Field, and had a makeshift stadium put in place on their practice field by Lake Michigan. For their game against the Buckeyes, they decided to play at Wrigley Field in a stadium that has no business being used. It just goes to show the level of difference between the two teams, where one is in the National title hunt, while the other is looking to miss bowl eligibility and near the bottom of the conference. Northwestern doesn’t even need to have to paint their logo or brand if this were at Soldier Field. 

2. Can the Buckeyes leave this game healthy?

At this stage of the season, the Buckeyes are in a position to make the Big Ten Championship, and are on of the top 3 teams with a 90%+ chance to make the playoff, but in order to compete for those goals and trophies, they need to stay healthy, especially at offensive line. Tyliek Williams did not play last week on the defensive line, and honestly he might not need to play this week, and keep him healthy and ready for Indiana in 2 weeks. 

3. Will the Buckeyes keep testing defensive schemes?

Against Purdue, we saw the Buckeyes play 3 down lineman on defense with 2 linebackers and the novelty Jack position that made Jim Knowles a top target for 2022 when Day was needing a defensive coordinator. Practice reps and game reps are different, and although the Buckeyes were able to shutout the Boilermakers thanks to 2 missed field goals, there were times in the game where the players were out of position. Is this going to be tested again this week against an inferior opponent to have this ready for Indiana and Michigan, and a potential rematch against Oregon?

4. Will we see Quinshon Break 100 yards?

The star running back has been solid for the Buckeyes this year, and we get to see him step up even more as a leader. The Boilermakers played a Bear front which limited the rushing yards for Quinshon, and it was actually TreVeyon who shined in the game with over 120 yards on  only 8 touches. Judkins has yet to rush for over 100 yards this season, and this would be a good opportunity to get past that hurdle. 

5. Is it time to put Sayin in as second string QB?

Devin Brown went in last week as the backup for the 4th time this season, but there is still a part of me that feels like he wont be the starter against Texas next year when the Buckeyes head to Austin to open the season, and instead it will be Julian Sayin. Is it time to get him more live reps, because his passes were on point last week in mop up time, they were just not completed. 

What are your top questions entering the game?

Photo Credit – Scott Taetsch | Getty Images