Ohio State gets its first Big Ten test of the season on Saturday afternoon, and the national prediction crowd is leaning hard toward the Buckeyes.
Illinois comes in at 2-1, with its lone loss coming against Duke in a game where the Illini appeared to have control. Bret Bielema’s team is expected to bring a physical approach, built around stopping the run and trying to win at the line of scrimmage. But the consensus view is clear: that formula is probably not enough to spring the upset in Ohio Stadium.
College Football News sees Ohio State pulling away behind the passing game. The outlet says, “Give Sayin time to work, and bad things happen to opposing defenses.
Once again, the Buckeyes will underwhelm with the ground game, but the passing attack will pick the Illini clean. Illinois isn’t showing enough of an offensive punch to pull this off, but it’ll have its moments.
It won’t be close to enough, as Ohio State wins easily (and watch, it’ll probably drop even further in the rankings).” Its score prediction: Ohio State 41, Illinois 13.
Fox Sports was even more one-sided. RJ Young pointed to the Buckeyes’ early lead against the No. 1 team in the country and said, “It's easy to forget the Buckeyes were up by 20 friggin' points against the No. 1 team in the country, and that team isn't in the same league - pun intended - as Illinois.”
Laken Litman also picked Ohio State, noting, “The Buckeyes are going to do everything in their power the rest of this season to prove they aren't the version of their team that led Texas, 20-3, at halftime and then lost.” Michael Cohen added that a year ago Ohio State went to Champaign and handled a ranked Illinois team without much trouble, saying, “There are levels to college football, and Illinois can't match Ohio State.”
Ben Portnoy also backed the Buckeyes, writing, “Ohio State is about as good as it was a year ago. Illinois, for all the moves it made, does not look nearly as complete as it was last fall.
For that reason, give me the Buckeyes big.”
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon also went with Ohio State, pointing to Illinois’ defensive numbers from earlier games against UAB and Duke. He wrote, “In earlier games against UAB and Duke, the Illinois defense ceded at least 5.2 yards per play.
That's not a promising sign against Ohio State, which has a fine running game and is dynamic through the air. Illinois should put together a few scoring drives, but keeping OSU off the board will be the problem.”
His prediction: Ohio State 38, Illinois 20.
In Other News...
Ohio State Freshman Legend Bey May Have A Bigger Problem Than Playing Time
Legend Beys first season at Ohio State has already been shaped by interruption, and not just because of the usual freshman learning curve. After an earlier suspension and an ankle injury, the running back has been working from behind for playing time, and his role has stayed limited as the Buckeyes have moved through the season. Even in areas where young players can sometimes find a foothold, his path has been narrow.
The latest sign came against Illinois, when Bey did not play and another player handled his kick-return work instead. For a freshman trying to earn more than a spot in the rotation, that kind of move can say plenty about where he stands with the staff. If the concerns run deeper than health or depth-chart traffic, it could become a bigger issue for Bey as he looks to settle his future in Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
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The next wave looks just as promising, if a little different in how it is forming. Ohio State has five commitments in the 2028 class, four of them top 100 prospects, led by quarterback Christopher Vargas at No. 4 nationally, and even the 2029 class already has a foothold with wide receiver Austin Miller, ranked No. 50. For a program that has long built its roster on blue-chip talent, the real question is how this early momentum will translate when the class rankings and the pressure both start to rise. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Growing Running Back Problem Behind Ja'Kobi Jackson
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What followed was more revealing than the box score. Day publicly singled out sophomores Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, questioning their effort when compared with Ja'Kobi Jackson, and the backdrop here is not just one uneven afternoon but a position group dealing with injuries and inconsistent play. For Ohio State, the bigger concern is whether there is a reliable answer behind Ja'Kobi Jackson, because right now the depth chart looks far less settled than a contender would prefer. [Read more 🡒]