BuckeyeTillIDie:
"Ohio State is going to beat NW up and down the field for 60 minutes."
You (and others) are making some very valid points, and I agree with your takes. But there's one factor that nobody has mentioned as the reason why this will be a behind-the-woodshed ass whoopin': REVENGE.
Look at
OSU's recent history against this team whenever it has felt even the smallest of slights from the Wildcats:
1997: Cooper throws the ball & runs up the score (a rarity for him) in the 4th Quarter as the Buckeyes throttle the Wildcats 49-6 in the Horseshoe. It was the Bucks' 1st game against NU after skipping two seasons in the B10 rotation. After the game, it was speculated that the Buckeyes were still irked from the 1995 NU Rose Bowl team celebrating on National TV as the Bucks' perfect season was ruined by a loss to scUM. They wanted to lay the wood hard on NU, and payback was a bitch that day.
2001: An unranked Buckeyes team rolls No 14 NU 38-20 at the Horseshoe. After the game, it was speculated that the Bucks were really motivated by the disparative rankings of the two teams.
2005: ??? What do you think's gonna happen after the Buckeyes suffered their first loss to NU since the Nixon Administration in the previous season?
"Revenge is a dish that is best served cold"
-Khan