FOX Big Noon Kickoff is headed to Columbus for a Week 4 Big Ten matchup that already carries a little extra bite.
The network announced Saturday afternoon that its pregame show will be on site next Saturday morning for the Sept. 26 meeting between No. 6 Ohio State and Illinois.
It’s a familiar stop for FOX Big Noon, but the setting doesn’t make the game any smaller. Ohio State and Illinois are set to open Big Ten play against each other, and both are carrying big-picture goals into the 2026 season.
Coverage from Columbus begins at 10 a.m. ET, with kickoff set for noon ET on FOX. By then, both teams should be coming off Week 3 games that looked manageable on paper: Ohio State was in line to roll past Kent State in Columbus, while Illinois handled Southern Illinois in Champaign.
If that plays out, the Week 4 matchup will feature two teams with expectations and scars. It would be a 2-1 showdown, with Ohio State still dealing with its Week 2 collapse at Texas and Illinois trying to rebound from its home loss to Duke in Week 2.
That’s what gives this one some urgency. When FOX Big Noon arrives in Columbus, both teams could be trying to keep a second loss off the ledger before September is even over.
Ohio State and Illinois will meet in an early-season Big Ten game that matters as both teams push toward a championship run in 2026. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the chances for the Buckeyes and Fighting Illini to be Big Ten champions come December:
In Other News...
Ohio States Easy Win Couldnt Quiet One Big Concern
Ohio State handled Kent State 59-3 and put the game away early, taking a 35-0 lead into halftime and never letting the outcome feel in doubt. The Buckeyes still found enough balance to lean on the run, finishing with 145 rushing yards on 38 attempts, with Bo Jackson leading the way with 73 yards and a touchdown.
Even in a blowout, though, the ground game remains a point worth watching. Ohio States rushing offense is still inconsistent overall, sitting 79th nationally at just under 159 yards per game, and that leaves a gap between what this roster can be and what it has shown so far. The schedule will get less forgiving from here, and the Buckeyes will need more than a comfortable win to answer that concern. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A Clear Warning About Illinois Saturday
Illinois followed its loss to Duke with a much cleaner performance against Southern Illinois, and the part that should have Ohio State paying attention is how much more settled the Illini looked at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line showed progress, the run defense was sturdier, and the overall operation came across as a team that had already made some useful corrections before the matchup in Columbus.
Katin Houser also gave Illinois a steadier passing game by spreading the ball around, which matters because it hints at a more functional offense than the one that stumbled a week earlier. The defense, meanwhile, flashed enough improvement against the run to suggest this is not a team the Buckeyes can afford to overlook, even if the bigger question still hangs over whether those adjustments travel against a much faster and more talented opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Got A Big Noon Reminder Nobody Wanted
A rout should have sounded like a showcase, but Ohio States 59-3 win over Kent State came with a broadcast that drew as much attention as the score. FOX Sports announcer Gus Johnson delivered the game in a flat, muted tone, and he also made a factual mistake while discussing a players touchdown history, a rough combination in a matchup that was already struggling to hold viewers attention.
The bigger issue is one college football keeps circling back to every fall: games like this are increasingly hard to sell, even for a blueblood with a massive fan base. Ohio State can only do so much when the opponent is overmatched, and the broadcast only amplified the sense that fans, and maybe networks, would rather see a more competitive nonconference slate than another predictable Saturday afternoon tune-up. [Read more 🡒]