COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the last time in the regular season, Ohio State hits the road. And the Buckeyes will compete in an unusual venue for them as they hope to keep their Big Ten championship hopes alive.
No. 2 Ohio State will face Northwestern for the 80th time but the first at Chicago's Wrigley Field. The Wildcats are coming off a bye week with a 4-5 overall record, 2-3 in league play. Kickoff is at noon.
"We've always had good games against Northwestern. Just most recently a couple years ago when we played at Ryan Field and the weather made it a tough day," coach Ryan Day said. "They're very sound in what they do. Their scheme is very sound. They're built from the inside out, and they're going to make you win the game -- force you to earn it."
Here are three things to know.
As Northwestern is in the midst of building a stadium that will open in 2026, the Wildcats have been playing most of their home games in a temporary lakeside stadium on campus. But for their final two home games, Wrigley Field becomes NU's home.
The Buckeyes have played at five Major League Baseball stadiums but none since 2005 when they took on Minnesota at the Metrodome. Ohio State has a 19-1 record in baseball stadiums.
"It's a very unique place with an unbelievable history, so it's a great opportunity for us," Day said. "I've been a part of teams that have played at Yankee Stadium and then over in San Francisco where the Giants play. It is different. It's a different feel."
The Buckeyes have been practicing on the grass fields to simulate what it will be like on Saturday. Wrigley Field offers a much more intimate venue than Ohio Stadium, seating approximately 41,000 fans.
For many players, this will be their first time ever playing inside a baseball stadium. Center Seth McLaughlin was close to playing a high school football game at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Georgia, but it was rained out.
"It's gonna be awesome. A super historic stadium. It's going to be weird sitting on the bench and turning round with a whole outfield behind you. But I'm really looking forward to that experience," McLaughlin said.
Saturday's game will mark the fourth consecutive time that the Buckeyes will kickoff when it's noon in Columbus. And with upcoming matchups against Indiana and Michigan also kicking off at noon, Ohio State will end the season with six straight early afternoon games.
Although fans might groan, quarterback Will Howard doesn't mind.
"I'm going to play whenever they tell us to play. There's something I like about getting up and going. There's less thinking involved. You just get up and go," Howard said. "Sometimes when you're just sitting around for those night games, I just get antsy. I just want to go play this game. I don't like sitting around all day just waiting."
Day knows the importance of playing well in November. And with a critical matchup against undefeated Indiana followed by Michigan and potentially a Big Ten championship game the week after, he wants his team to avoid a letdown performance.
A 45-0 win over Purdue last week showed that the Buckeyes can perform well consistently.
"Is it who you are or is it just something you did? You had a good game or are you consistently performing at a high level physically and executing at a high level," Day said. "They got to bring it every week. That's what championship football is all about. Every week for us is like the playoffs right now."
