The #1 Ohio State Buckeyes and #17 Illinois Fighting Illini will be getting together at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, for the first time since 2017. OSU has won every game in this series since 2007, a monumental chapter in Illini football history which marked the last time that Illinois beat a team ranked #1.
Illinois is 3-13 all-time against #1-ranked teams, also winning back-to-back chances at home in 1950 (Ohio State 14-7) and 1956 (Michigan State 20-13)
#1 Ohio State at #17 Illinois FYIs
Sat, Oct. 11, kickoff at 11 am CST, FOX Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (reporter)
Champaign, Illinois (Memorial Stadium)
Fun Fact: The annual “Hail to the Orange Out” on Saturday will mark the first time that a ranked Illinois team will host a #1 team since that aforementioned 1950 victory over OSU.
Spread: Ohio State Buckeyes -14.5, Over/under 49.5, ESPN Matchup Predictor Ohio State Buckeyes 82.3% chance of winning
Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
There is talent and depth all over the place in Columbus, at every single position. However, it’s especially notable how the Buckeyes have become the top NFL wide receiver producing school.
Carnell Tate is their current alpha dog at the wideout slot, and he’ll get drafted in the first round, come April.
Then take a look at the Buckeyes WR2, Jeremiah Smith, who could be the #1 overall pick in 2027.
Jaxson Smith-Njigba has already publicly said that the Buckeyes sophomore has a higher ceiling than himself, or the other former Buckeye receivers who are getting it done at the professional level.
OSU has more future NFL talent than anybody, and they probably have the best overall prospect of all, regardless of position, in safety Caleb Downs.
Watching him versus top flight receiver Hank Beatty, and a very high-flying Illini air attack, is going to be fascinating.
Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten)
The Buckeyes receivers will likely put up big numbers against an Illini secondary that is dealing with some injuries right now. It’s going to be up to the offense to just simply rack up more yards and points than the Bucks offense will do in Champaign.
Enter quarterback Luke Altmyer, who is already an Illini legend among Illini legends…and his career isn’t even over yet.
He still hasn’t thrown a pick, and we’re in exact mid-season. Altmyer also has 12 TD passes against those zero interceptions, setting himself up to rewrite the Illini passing record book.
Kurt Kittner did it in 1999, and then again in 2001 (and he’ll be back on campus, as this is Hall of Fame weekend, and he’s in this class.
But now it’s Altmyer’s turn, and Illinois will need him to be at his absolute best in order to pull off the upset here.
The Illini OL is still lacking prowess in the run game, and thus, the rushing attack is lacking. However, they have looked a lot better lately in pass pro, so offensive coordinator Barry Lunney will get off the bus passing here.
Prediction: #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 42, #17 Illinois Fighting Illini 31
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter