Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1)
October 11, 2025 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Illinois Fighting Illini +13.5; Over/Under:
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The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini meet Saturday in college football action from Memorial Stadium Champaign. Here’s an Illinois vs Ohio State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Illinois vs Ohio State pick.
Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview
Ohio State had a close call in their opener, but then managed to hit their stride in the ensuing matchups. The Buckeyes started out the year versus Texas in a tough draw, eventually eking out the win 14-7. The next three games were fairly comfortable wins though, as Ohio State dispatched Grambling State 70-0, Ohio 37-9 and Washington 24-6. In the road win over Washington, the Buckeyes held the Huskies to just 234 yards (173 passing), 4.4 yards per play, 15 first downs and a rough 1-of-11 success rate on third-down tries.
In last weekend’s primetime matchup versus Minnesota, the Buckeyes held a modest 7-3 edge after one quarter but then scored 14 unanswered points in the second. The final half was all Ohio State as they notched a 21-0 run on the way to a 42-3 blowout victory. QB Julian Sayin finished 23-of-27 for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Tops in rushing was Bo Jackson with 63 yards and a score off 13 carries, and Carnell Tate had a big day on nine catches for 183 yards and a TD. Jeremiah Smith had seven catches as well for 67 yards and two more touchdowns in the big blowout victory.
Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview
Over on the Illinois side, they got off to a fine start through their first three games, taking out Western Illinois 52-3, Duke 45-19 and Western Michigan 38-0. Game four versus Indiana was an embarrassing blowout loss 63-10, but Illinois bounced back with a 34-32 win at home versus a tough USC team the next weekend. The Illini posted 502 yards with 8.1 yards per play, 25 first downs and 6-of-10 on third downs in the victory over the Trojans, but also lost a couple of fumbles in the tight outcome.
In their game versus Purdue last weekend, Illinois came out of the first quarter with a seven-point deficit and allowed scoring in every quarter. That said, the Illini posted 27 points in the second quarter themselves (followed by 13 more in the third), eventually rolling to a 43-27 win in the end. QB Luke Altmyer finished 19-of-22 for 390 yards and a score, while top rusher Ca’Lil Valentine had 22 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Hank Beatty caught five balls for 186 yards and the TD during the winning effort for top receiver honors.
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends: Week 7
Illinois Fighting Illini Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 7, Luke Altmyer ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for passer rating (134.8) this season.
Ohio State Buckeyes Player Prop Facts
- Julian Sayin has recorded a 110.0+ passer rating in four consecutive games – equal-longest streak in the FBS.
Matchup/League Facts
- Illinois has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of five points or less of any FBS team this season (1).
- Illinois has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of three points or less of any FBS team this season (1).
- Ohio State ranks 1st among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (5.0).
- Ohio State has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of 15+ points of any FBS team this season (3).
Illinois vs Ohio State Prediction
I’m going to stay with Ohio State. The Buckeyes defense put on a clinic in their latest outing versus a decent Minnesota team last weekend. Ohio State held the Gophers to just 162 total yards (94 passing), 3.2 yards per play, 11 first downs and a meager 1-of-11 success rate on third-down tries. Offensively Ohio State finished with 474 yards, 8.2 yards per play, 21 first downs and 7-of-10 on third-down conversion attempts. It was a one-sided affair in pretty much every sense of the term. Ohio State has scored 37 or more points in three of their five games thus far and should put up a pretty solid total in this one as well.
As for Illinois, they looked pretty good against Purdue once they got their feet underneath them. The Illini would finish with 507 total yards, 8.0 yards per play, 22 first downs and no turnovers. That said, the offense went just 2-of-12 on third- and fourth-down attempts which really stalled out several drives. I don’t think Illinois has anywhere near enough offensive capability to overcome Ohio State’s defense.
