COLUMBUS – Ohio State is again heavily favored to beat a visiting opponent but the team that comes to Ohio Stadium Saturday is building a reputation for boxing out of its weight class.
No. 1 Ohio State (2-0) vs Northern Illinois (2-0) 3:30 p.m./ABC
Although hailing from the Mid-American Conference, the Northern Illinois Huskies have shown they are not afraid to take on opponents from bigger schools and more powerful conferences. And beating them.
“They’ve beaten Northwestern, Purdue, Iowa and Minnesota. I wouldn’t call those upsets. I think these guys are very good,” OSU head coach Urban Meyer said.
Under third-year coach Rod Carey, the Huskies have built a 25-6 record, which includes a 3-0 record against the Big Ten.
Northern Illinois has also finished each of the last five season with at least 11 wins. The only other team to accomplish that feat in Division I has been Oregon.
The last time the Buckeyes and Huskies met up, Ohio State, ranked No. 1 then as well, won 35-12 in 2006.
Ohio State is a 35 1/2-point favorite Saturday.
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This is Hall of Fame Weekend at Ohio State, when 14 former athletes and coaches will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
The induction will take place Friday at a dinner at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown and the class, which includes former football players Joey Galloway and Tim Anderson and coach Jim Tressel as well as Justin Cook (men’s soccer), Terence Dials (men’s basketball), Lara Dickenmann (women’s soccer), Natalie Diea (women’s diving), Annabelle Fago (rowing), Theresa Hession (women’s golf coach), J Jaggers and Perry Martter (wrestling), Teresa Meyers (pistol), Dan Seimetz (baseball), and Paul Tilley (menm’s ice hockey).
The Hall of Fame was founded in 1977 and has inducted 285 members.