College Football: Ohio State vs Illinois Odds, Analysis, & Picks

Big Ten is in full swing on Saturday, October 10 as Ohio State heads to Champaign to face Illinois. The kickoff for this Week 7 clash if scheduled for 12 pm ET at Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes, who are currently the No. 1 team in the country and the defending national champions, haven’t lost yet and just smashed Minnesota 42-3 last weekend. The Fighting Illini are also having a nice season at 5-1 and won a shootout against Purdue in Week 6. Keep reading for the Ohio State vs Illinois picks.

Odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Ohio State vs Illinois Odds

OSU is a heavy -650 moneyline favorite. They’re also laying 14.5 points on the spread at online betting sites. Illinois returns as a +475 home underdog.

Ohio State has won nine straight meetings against the Fighting Illini. Their last loss to Illinois came way back in 2007. However, this is the first meeting between these two programs since 2017.

Ohio State vs Illinois Analysis

The Buckeyes lost a plethora of talent to the NFL Draft in April after being crowned national champs, but Ryan Day and his recruiting staff did a phenomenal job of making sure this program was going to be a contender once again in 2025-26. Ohio State has looked very solid behind quarterback Julian Sayin. The youngster has completed 80.2% of his passes for 1,313 yards and 13 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

Sayin has no shortage of offensive weapons, too. The Buckeyes’ RB room is led by freshman Bo Jackson, but James Peoples and CJ Donaldson have also been productive. Out wide, Jeremiah Smith is the headliner, who is seen as the Heisman Trophy favorite by many. The WR is fully living up to expectations, reeling in 35 receptions for 463 yards and six touchdowns. Ohio State’s offense is scoring 37.4 points per game but it’s their defense that is really standing out, allowing just 5.0 points per contest. That’s first in the nation.

Illinois was seen as a dark horse contender for the College Football Playoff before the campaign begun and they continue to be in that conversation. The Fighting Ilini remain in the top-25, sitting as the No. 17 ranked team in the country. QB Luke Altmyer is undoubtedly the driving force behind their offensive success. He’s thrown for 1,573 yards and 12 touchdowns while not getting picked off once. Altmyer has also completed 73.6% of his throws. The signal-caller just had his biggest game in Week 6, throwing for 390 yards in a huge win over the Boilermakers. He also had only three incompletions.

Overall, Illinois is a very fundamentally found team on both sides of the ball. They’re 65th in total yards, 48th in passing yards, and 25th in points with 37 per game. Defensively, the Fighting Illini also have some intriguing pieces, most notably Gabe Jacas. Illinois is conceding 24 points per game this year and they will have their work cut out for them on Saturday, with Sayan and Co. thriving on a weekly basis.

Ohio State vs Illinois Picks

The reality is that Ohio State is a much better team. They have a serious shot at repeating, and the spread here is understandable. I’ll take the Buckeyes to cover on Saturday and move to 6-0.

Pick: Ohio State -14.5 (-105)/Sports Interaction