Ohio State Buckeyes: 5 Predictions for Week 3 vs. Northern Illinois

The Ohio State Buckeyes will face off against Northern Illinois later this afternoon. What five predictions can be made for Urban Meyer's squad?

Over the past two weeks, the Buckeyes have been making it easy to see why they were ranked No. 1 to start the season and why they are considered a good bet to make a run at another championship. Meyer has a very talented football team and has playmakers all over the field on both sides of the football. Northern Illinois is hoping to shock the world and upset the top team in the country, but it is going to take a perfect game to do that.

It is hard to think of any situation where Northern Illinois could come away with a victory. Ohio State has a huge advantage at every single position, not to mention the fact that Columbus is one of the most hostile places for an opposing team to play in the entire nation.

All of that being said, let's take a look at what five predictions fans should be on the lookout for throughout the game.

1. Braxton Miller Scores at Least Two Highlight Touchdowns

Last week, Braxton Miller didn't make quite the impact that he did in the first game of the season against the Virginia Tech Hokies. That will change this week against a fairly bad Northern Illinois defense and Miller will score at least two highlight worthy touchdowns. Whether he catches them, runs them in or simply passes them in, Miller is going to be a major impact player on the game for Ohio State.

2. Cardale Jones Gets Back on Track Under Center

Ohio State has been playing around with both Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett getting playing time at the quarterback position, but Jones will get back on track and take command of the starting job. Meyer made him his opening night starter for a reason and Jones should start once again this week. He had a rough week last game, but there is no reason why he wouldn't have a huge performance against Northern Illinois.

3. Ezekiel Elliott Pads His Heisman Stats

During their championship run last season, Ohio State saw Ezekiel Elliott step up and become a superstar. He came into the 2015 season as the Heisman Trophy front-runner, but hasn't had a huge first two games. That will change this week and Elliott should run all over the Northern Illinois defense and pad his Heisman stats and get back into the thick of the conversation.

4. Ohio State's Defense Forces at Least Four Turnovers

While the Ohio State offense has been dominant to say the least, their defense is just as capable of taking over games. They will show that in a big way this week and will take the football away from Northern Illinois at least four times. It will be interesting to see what the final scores ends up being, but the Huskies are going to have a very tough time moving the football.

5. Ohio State Comes Away with a Major Blowout Victory

After reading the first four predictions, a blowout victory for the Buckeyes shouldn't be a surprising fifth prediction. Ohio State is going to embarrass Northern Illinois this afternoon and should end up blowing them out by around 30 or more. They are superior in every single way and the home field advantage is the final nail in the coffin for a team like the Huskies who don't know what they are walking into.