Road trip number two has arrived for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the quest to defend the school's national title.
OSU travels to Champaign, IL today to face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini in what will serve as a hundred-year celebration of sorts in the rivalry between the schools for the Illibuck trophy.
GAMEDAY IN CHAMPAIGN pic.twitter.com/3DadJjEmF4
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 11, 2025
Illinois enters this contest having yet to receive a bye week this season after completing the sixth game on its schedule last week to the tune of a 43-27 win over Purdue. The Fighting Illini currently sit 17th overall in the AP Poll and have only tasted defeat thus far this season at the hands of an Indiana squad that delivered a stunning 63-10 beatdown to them three weeks ago.
While Ohio State gears up for yet another Big Noon Kickoff, take a look at how the Buckeye football aficionados at Eleven Warriors expect this game to play out as OSU strives to remain undefeated at the midpoint of its regular season schedule.
Score Predictions
Andy Anders — Ohio State 45, Illinois 13. I’ve been very wrong picking high scores before, but Illinois’ defense is categorically worse than Minnesota’s, who didn’t have an answer for the Buckeyes last weekend. The Fighting Illini have a strong passing attack but no offense has mustered much against the best defense in college football this year.
Chase Brown — Ohio State 38, Illinois 13. Mannnnnn, I’ll be honest, 25 points on a 14.5-point spread feels like a lot! Still, I have to stick with my gut, which tells me Ohio State’s passing attack should have no issues against Illinois, so long as the offensive line keeps Julian Sayin clean. Thirteen points also feels like a lot for the Illini offense, but I trust that Bert will have his guys prepared to play their best and at least make things a little interesting on Saturday.
George Eisner — Ohio State 42, Illinois 10. Rough matchup for the Illini here despite their early season success beyond the Cignetti massacre. If the Buckeyes follow a similar game plan as last week and opt to air it out early, Luke Altmyer will have a tough time matching OSU’s offensive pace opposite a shining group of Silver Bullets.
Jack Emerson — Ohio State 35, Illinois 10. Ohio State passes another road test with flying colors, as the Buckeye defense stifles Luke Altmyer and Co. en route to another victory.
Matt Gutridge — Ohio State 31, Illinois 10. Since 1964, Ohio State has played against Illinois in the wind tunnel known as Champaign 28 times. Saturday, the weather guessers are calling for sunny skies and winds of eight miles per hour. If the winds stay as predicted, it will be the fourth time in this time frame for the Buckeyes to play in Champaign with winds of eight mph or less. Ohio State is 3-0 in this weather scenario and should improve to 4-0.
Dan Hope — Ohio State 38, Illinois 13. I expect Ohio State to play at a slower pace offensively than it did against Minnesota, but I don’t think Illinois will have much success stopping the Buckeyes’ offense, given that the Illini have allowed more than 500 yards per game in Big Ten play. They won’t allow Ohio State to embarrass them the way Indiana did, but the Buckeyes still win comfortably in the end.
Kyle Jones — Ohio State 34, Illinois 10. OSU finally gives up double-digit points, but the game is never in doubt as the Buckeyes go ball-control and once again try to shorten the game. Sayin doesn’t put up the same numbers as he did a week ago, but is just as efficient.
Chris Lauderback — Ohio State 35, Illinois 11. Julian Sayin throws for three touchdowns and the defense does what it does as Ohio State wins comfortably on the road.
Ramzy Nasrallah — Ohio State 49, Illinois 3. This will be one of the weakest offensive lines the Buckeye defense will face this season, but the good news for Illinois is that in 16 quarters they've played against Power Four opponents this season, they've given up points in 15 of them - including the 12-quarter heater they're currently on. If Ohio State goes a quarter without scoring on Saturday, look up at the sky to see if locusts and toads are falling out of the clouds. The Illini have also played six straight Saturdays, so expect some serious Ugh Is It Friday Yet vibes from them in the 2nd half.
Josh Poloha — Ohio State 31, Illinois 13. The Buckeyes haven’t lost to the Illini since 2007 and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.
Jason Priestas — Ohio State 34, Illinois 9. The stars show up at night as Sayin, Smith, Downs, Reese, and the rest of the crew put on a I’m convinced that the gray skies and nothingness of Champaign bores visitors into bad games – and Ohio State certainly has fallen into that trap in the past. However, the Silver Bullets are just too much as the Buckeyes coast to a ranked W.
Jordan Raines — Ohio State 38, Illinois 10. Illinois becomes the first team to achieve double digits, but the Illibuck remains in Columbus.
Will Ohio State Cover?
The Buckeyes opened as 13.5-point favorites last weekend, and that line has held relatively steady compared to some of their other recent spreads, climbing only a point higher to 14.5 as of Saturday morning. Ohio State has covered in all but one of its games so far this season, while the same can be said of Illinois to this point.
Each of the dozen members on staff that have provided scoring predictions since the beginning of the season believe the Buckeyes will cover easily today on the road. Ramzy Nasrallah easily anticipates the most lopsided victory with a whopping projected 46-point margin, while Josh Poloha gives the Fighting Illini the most respect with the shallowest forecast of Ohio State winning by just 18 points.
What About the Over/Under?
The point total in this contest opened at 50.5 across sportsbooks last week and has not budged as of Saturday morning. The Buckeyes have three unders on their record so far this year compared to two overs, while Illinois boasts four overs compared to just two unders through its first six games.
Much less of a consensus exists among the Eleven Warriors employees on the outcome of the total compared to the spread. Seven on staff anticipate the under takes shape, while five have the over cashing ever so slightly. Andy Anders expects the largest tally between the teams at 58 points, while Jason Priestas calls for the smallest sum at just 43 points.
Eleven Warriors Prop Bets
Curious how the betting market envisions key efforts from various players manifesting in the battle for Illibuck? Check out some of our in-house prop betting lines ahead of Big Noon Kickoff for a glimpse into how the sportsbooks have set expectations for figures on both teams today. Leave your predictions for us in the comments!
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How many passing yards will Julian Sayin have?
- Over 269.5 (+100)
- Under 269.5 (-120)
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How many passing yards will Luke Altmyer have?
- Over 215.5 (-115)
- Under 215.5 (-115)
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How many receiving yards will Carnell Tate have?
- Over 74.5 (+110)
- Under 74.5 (-130)
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Will Jeremiah Smith score a touchdown?
- Yes (-190)
- No (+180)
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How many points will Jayden Fielding score?
- Over 6.5 (-125)
- Under 6.5 (+105)
