Ohio State beat Hawaii 38-0 last week, but the defending champs certainly didn’t impress anyone with that performance. The offense was particularly sloppy, and neither Cardale Jones nor J.T. Barrett looked like Heisman contenders. If anything, the quarterback battle got even more muddled. That’s a stark contrast to the week before, when a dynamic offense, led by Jones and Braxton Miller, showed why it can be so dangerous.
How to watch Northern Illinois vs. Ohio State on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
Can Ohio State get back on track?
The Buckeyes will need to be better this week against a Northern Illinois team that is always dangerous. The Huskies have taken down three Big Ten teams in the past two years, and while Ohio State is a different animal, NIU is no Hawaii. And just ask Arkansas about taking MAC teams seriously. NIU is probably one of the top four teams in the MAC, so OSU will get a test.
Of course, the Buckeyes should still win comfortably, and this will be a good test for the rest of the season. The College Football Playoff committee showed last year that it’s not who you beat, it’s how you beat them, and OSU needs to dominate teams it should dominate, like Northern Illinois.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC or ESPN2
Radio: Ohio State, Northern Illinois
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Ohio State is favored by 34.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Land-Grant Holy Land for Ohio State fans and Hustle Belt for Northern Illinois fans.
Three big things to know
1. What happens with the Ohio State quarterbacks? Both of them will likely play once again, but can Cardale Jones grasp hold of the starting job, or will J.T. Barrett move back ahead of him. There doesn’t appear to be much separation between the two, even though Jones is still the starter. If one of them has a great game, that could make the picture a little bit clearer.
2. Don’t pull a Florida State, Ohio State. That is, don’t win games close all year and put together a bunch of uninspiring performances. If that happens again against NIU, people are going to start worrying about the Buckeyes.
3. NIU is the MAC favorite until it stops winning. Despite that, the Huskies might not be the best team in the conference this year, with Toledo and Bowling Green already pulling off power conference upsets and Western Michigan having perhaps the league’s best talent. This NIU keeps this one close, the Huskies could become the odds-on favorite again.
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