Northwestern vs. Ohio State Player Props: Finding Betting Value in the Big Ten Championship Game

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images. Pictured: Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson

Ohio State is the biggest betting favorite in conference championship games, giving Northwestern 18.5 points on Saturday. If you’re unsure how the side will play out, player props are another option to consider.

If Ohio State races ahead early, perhaps you expect Buckeyes running backs to run wild or Northwestern QB Peyton Ramsey to throw his way to 200 yards.

Maybe you expect Northwestern to sit on the ball and limit possessions, giving Justin Fields fewer opportunities to shine.

Or, if you have a $238,000 sweat on Northwestern and don’t want to take the Ohio State moneyline, go big on Buckeyes players scoring touchdowns.

Below you’ll find a plethora of available options at FanDuel for the Big Ten Championship.

Big Ten Championship Game Passing Yards O/U

Player Passing Yards
Justin Fields 262.5
Peyton Ramsey 187.5

We only have a five-game sample size to use for Ohio State, but Fields cleared 263 yards in four of those contests. None of them were particularly close, with three games over 300 yards.

The risk is Fields leaning on his legs, especially if Ohio State leads. He ran for 104 yards in his last game against Michigan State.

For what it’s worth, Fields threw for 194 yards in a 52-3 win over Northwestern last season.

On the other side, we have a quarterback coming off an 82-yard effort. That’s what Ramsey threw for in a 28-10 win over Illinois last week. His 187.5 yards is the lowest of all starting quarterbacks playing on Saturday. He’s covered that number four times in seven games.

Those 82 yards? Probably an anomaly, considering the Wildcats ran for 411.

In games where the rushing offense struggled, Ramsey has shown he can get to 200 yards. Against Wisconsin, Northwestern ran the ball 23 times for 24 yards. Ramsey threw 44 times for 203 yards.

Rushing Yards O/U

Team Rushing Yards
Master Teague III 69.5
Trey Sermon 62.5
Justin Fields 46.5

That Northwestern running game? Nowhere to be found on the oddsboard. This is all about Ohio State. These are the Buckeyes’ top three rushers. No one else has carried the ball more than nine times for Ohio State.

Teague III gets the most opportunities, with 87 carries compared to 55 for Sermon and Fields each. Sermon is the big-play threat, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Fields is coming off that 104-yard effort, which shows his potential on the ground.

First Touchdown Scorer 

Team Odds
Justin Fields +440
Master Teague III +440
Garrett Wilson +490
Chris Olave +550
Jeremy Ruckert +750
Trey Sermon +1100
Ohio State D/ST +1500
Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman +1600
Charlie Mangieri +1800
Peyton Ramsey +2200
Cam Porter +2200
Evan Hull +2500
Drake Anderson +2700
Northwestern D/ST +3000
Riley Lees +3400
Kyric McGowan +3600
John Raine +3600
Isaiah Bowser +3600
Jameson Williams +3900
Julian Fleming +4300
Jaxon Smith-Njigba +5000
Luke Farrell +5000
Steele Chambers +5500

If you think Northwestern finds pay dirt first, here’s your prop.

Seven Ohio State options are on the board to score the first touchdown of the game before we get to Northwestern’s Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman at +1600.

The Buckeyes have scored first in each of their last four games. Only Nebraska put up points before Ohio State in the first game of the year. Teague has twice been the first scorer, joining Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson and Fields.

Charlie Mangieri scored first for Northwestern last week against Illinois.

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Anytime Touchdown Scorer

Team Odds
Justin Fields -210
Master Teague III -210
Garrett Wilson -155
Chris Olave -115
Jeremy Ruckert +120
Trey Sermon +200
Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman +250
Ohio State D/ST +260
Charlie Mangieri +270
Peyton Ramsey +340
Cam Porter +340
Evan Hull +410
Drake Anderson +430
Northwestern D/ST +490
Riley Lees +500
Kyric McGowan +500
John Raine +500
Isaiah Bowser +500
Jameson Williams +700
Julian Fleming +800
Jaxon Smith-Njigba +900
Luke Farrell +900
Steele Chambers +1000

These are the Ohio State point totals this year: 52, 38, 49, 42 and 52.

That means a lot of touchdowns. That’s probably why you’re laying odds on four different Buckeyes scoring.

Wilson and Olave have five receiving touchdowns each. Their receiving yards props also suggest big games; Wilson’s total is 99.5 and Olave’s is 92.5. They’ve caught 70 of Fields’ 107 completions.

Teague III has six rushing touchdowns. Fields has five.

Touchdowns are harder to come by for the Wildcats, who’ve only scored more than 27 points once, in a 43-3 season-opening win against Maryland.

Northwestern spreads out the scoring. Seven players have a rushing touchdown. Only Chiaokhiao-Bowman (4) has more than three scores.

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