College football upset alert, Championship Week: Ohio State among 3 teams in danger

College football upset alert No. 1: Ohio State Buckeyes

Rank: 4 | Opponent: 14 Northwestern Wildcats | Time: Saturday, Dec. 19, Noon ET

Considering that The Action Network has the Ohio State Buckeyes as 18.5-point favorites over the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten Championship Game, it might seem a bit far-fetched to say that Ryan Day’s team should be put on upset alert. But when you look at the situation at hand, maybe it’s not so crazy to think that Ohio State might be in danger of losing this game and, in turn, their College Football Playoff berth.

For starters, this isn’t as good of a Buckeyes team as last year. Yes, Justin Fields and the offense are just as dangerous but the rushing attack isn’t as potent as it was a year ago. Most importantly, though, the Ohio State defense is decidedly worse than it was last season and can be taken advantage of.

Then there’s the matchup. While Peyton Ramsey and Northwestern’s offense are far from world-beaters, they are smart and capable. If the Buckeyes defense lets up, the Wildcats can at least score some. Then they have arguably the best defense in the Big Ten to back them up and possibly cause Fields and the Buckeyes attack problems.

If that wasn’t enough, Ohio State is also reportedly dealing with some COVID-19 concerns that could leave them short-handed in this game. So when you take a matchup that is likely closer than the line would suggest and then add in some personnel issues, the Buckeyes are very much in danger of stumbling across the finish line.

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