Ohio State will be without leading receiver Chris Olave, punter Drue Chrisman, starting linebacker Baron Browning and others for the Big Ten championship game.
Ohio State looks to win its fourth straight Big Ten championship and secure a berth in the College Football Playoff when it plays Northwestern on Saturday in Indianapolis.
Ohio State will not release a status report for the Big Ten title game until Saturday morning, leaving questions and rumors about player availability to linger until game day.
Ahead of Saturday's Big Ten championship matchup with Northwestern, staffers Ramzy Nasrallah, Kevin Harrish and David Wertheim join the 11W roundtable.
Nick Saban's cold, calculated moves, the absurdity of the College Football Playoff selection committee, and a preview of Ohio State's Big Ten Championship clash with Northwestern.
Justin Fields and Shaun Wade are both semifinalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, while Fields has also been named a finalist for the Manning Award.
Drue Chrisman was selected by coaches as the Big Ten's second-best punter this season, while Jonathon Cooper was selected as Ohio State's sportsmanship award honoree.
Lia Assimakopoulos, editor-in-chief of Inside NU, says the Wildcats “need to play a nearly-perfect defensive game” and Peyton Ramsey has to be at his best to beat Ohio State.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award along with Ian Book, Mac Jones, Trevor Lawrence and Kyle Trask.