Ohio State kicks off its 2026 Big Ten slate Saturday afternoon in the Shoe against Illinois, looking to build momentum ahead of a tough schedule.

The No. 7-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for their fourth game of the season as they host the Illinois Fighting Illini this Saturday at noon in the Horseshoe. Both teams are coming off week three wins, are 2-1 through non-conference play, and are looking to take home the Illibuck trophy. Ohio State leads this historic series 70-30-3.

The scarlet and gray opened the year with a 56-3 win over Ball State, then lost 24-23 at Texas before coming home and thrashing Kent State 59-3. Similarly, the Orange and Blue defeated UAB 42-23, then lost a close one at home to Duke 31-27, followed by a blowout win over SIU 48-10.

Let’s dive into what both teams did last week, who to watch, and what to expect in their first conference game.

Buckeyes Bounce Back Against Golden Flashes

Ohio State scored three first-quarter touchdowns, added two more in the second, and beat Kent State 59-3 last week to improve to 2-1 before Big Ten play. Many players rotated in early, and the team has both strengths and areas to improve ahead of this conference matchup.

Julian Sayin had a good stat line but missed a few opportunities, including open receivers. He finished 18/22 for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. Jeremiah Smith led the way, as he tends to do, with five catches, 85 yards, and a big moment when he passed Michael Jenkins for the all-time receiving yards record for this elite program.

Brandon Inniss hauled in a hail mary touchdown to end the half and finished with four catches for 78 yards, his best statistical game of the season. Other contributions in the passing game came from Chris Henry Jr. (75-yard catch-and-run), Brock Boyd (four receptions, 66 yards), Philip Bell (3 receptions, 37 yards), and Nate Roberts (touchdown catch).

All three of the main running backs found the end zone, led by Bo Jackson (11 carries, 73 yards, one touchdown), Ja’Kobi Jackson (eight carries, 47 yards, two touchdowns), and Isaiah West (touchdown run). Legend Bey had only one carry and suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for the rest of the game. It can be hard to tell how well the offensive line played, but 3.8 yards per carry seems low, with a long run of just 17 yards on 38 total carries throughout the affair.

The defense was led by Riley Pettijohn, who made a timely interception and returned it for eight yards for the only defensive turnover of the game. Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr. both made their presence felt with five total tackles, two solo tackles, half of a sack, and half of a tackle for loss each.

The other tackles for loss came from Braxton Rembert, Qua Russaw, and Epi Sitanilei. 14 Buckeyes had multiple tackles and, as a team, held the Kent State offense to only three points, 8/21 passing for 63 yards, and 2.1 yards per carry with 71 total yards on the ground.

Illinois Rebounds Against SIU

Illinois was tied 7-7 with a few minutes left in the first quarter, but a long touchdown sparked a 41-3 run for their second win of the season. They needed to bounce back and build confidence after a tough home loss to Duke the week prior.

Katin Houser powered the offense, going 23/29 for 305 yards and two touchdowns, but also had an interception. Collin Dixon continues to trouble opposing defenses, catching eight passes for 131 yards and two scores. Hudson Clement (69 yards) and Brayden Trimble (57 yards) both caught five passes for the Fighting Illini offense.

The ground game averaged 7.1 yards per carry and produced three touchdowns. Aidan Laughery (93 yards), Javari Barnett (50 yards), and Jordan Anderson (11 yards) all scored touchdowns to power the offense to nearly 50 points.

The defense forced just one sack but had six tackles for loss and was led by Juice Clark, who had seven tackles and two passes defended. Many players got in on the action, as nine recorded at least half a tackle for loss. Matthew Bailey had the defense’s lone turnover on an 88-yard pick-six. Outside of that, the passing defense had some moments but still gave up 228 passing yards and some big plays to a much inferior opponent. The run defense was much better, allowing just 29 rushing yards and 1.1 yards per carry, with only one double-digit run allowed: 10 yards.

What To Watch For

Ohio State has one of the best offenses in the country, led by Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin, and Bo Jackson, while Illinois boasts a respectable but less efficient offense. Illinois doesn’t turn the ball over often and will attack drives little by little, while Ohio State has plenty of playmakers with big-play ability.

The Buckeyes’ defense is also ranked near the top in the country in several categories, including points per game, yards per game, and passing yards per attempt. The Illinois defense gives up nearly double the yards per game and forces few turnovers.

As mentioned above, the Buckeyes have dominated this series and have won the last seven contests. The last meeting was last season in Champaign, where the scarlet and gray won 34-16; before that, the last meeting was back in 2017.

The spread opened at Ohio State -27.5 and is now -26.5. The over/under point total opened at 54.5 and is now at 53.5. The moneline is currently at Ohio State -4000 and Illinois +1600.

Ohio State fell even after their big win in week 3 and are ranked seventh in the country. They should play with an edge, as they are being disrespected, and fans should have confidence in the coaching staff and team leaders to have the squad ready to play. I expect Julian Sayin to get Jeremiah Smith a touchdown, as he had a good game in this matchup last year and did not score against Kent State.

This might be the first home game without a ton of rotation, but it’s still a deep team finding the right combinations, so expect to see regular starters and backups at times.

Even if this game is a little slow at the start, I think Ohio State will finish the first half strong as they have all season, but this time they won’t let up in the second half. Bo Jackson continues his solid play on offense as the offensive line continues to elevate this offense and team.

The defense will force a timely turnover like last week and push Illinois into uncomfortable third-and-long situations. The Buckeyes will use another stellar home crowd on what should be a beautiful Saturday afternoon, along with last week’s game, as momentum to fuel their first conference win of the season.

Prediction: Ohio State 38, Illinois 10