It’s almost time for another Ohio State appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game. It’ll be the fourth-straight time the Buckeyes have found themselves in Indianapolis and the second time in three years Northwestern will be the opponent.

On paper, it looks like a mismatch, but any team coached by Pat Fitzgerald is coaching a team, it is going to have a chip on its shoulder and give all-out effort. There may be a big gap in talent between the two programs but you can bet the Wildcats have the belief they can hang, and beat, the Buckeyes.

And it’s not just lip service either. There are some reasons to believe that Northwestern could make this thing a game and give Ohio State some problems.

Here are three reasons Chicago’s Big Ten team could provide more than a little resistance against the Buckeyes on Saturday.

NEXT … Defense