The Ohio State Buckeyes host the Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big 10 matchup in Week 4. The game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes are listed as 27.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 53.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for this Week 4 matchup.
Ohio State vs. Illinois Prediction, Preview
Illinois Preview
The Fighting Illini have not had a strong start to the season. They lost a key non-conference game against Duke and looked shaky against UAB as well. However, the Big 10 schedule is a fresh start for Illinois. Unfortunately, that fresh start begins with a road matchup against one of the best teams in the country. The Fighting Illini have a really solid offense, led by Katin Houser. However, they have been dreadful on defense. They rank 12th in the nation in offensive EPA/drive, but 125th in the nation in defensive EPA/drive. They could get some points on the board in this one, but it’s hard to envision them getting many stops.
Ohio State Preview
The Buckeyes gave away their big game against Texas on the road. They certainly bounced back well, albeit against a vastly inferior opponent in Kent State. However, the Buckeyes now have minimal room for error in conference play if they want to get to the College Football Playoff. They have some really tough conference games on the schedule, so in these easier matchups, they need to take care of business. The Buckeyes have an elite passing offense and an elite defense. Against inferior competition, they should have no problems winning games by a big margin. It will be in the games against Indiana, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan and USC that we see what this team is really made of.
Ohio State vs. Illinois Pick, Best Bet
My best bet is for this game to go over the total of 53.5 points. The Buckeyes have an explosive passing offense, led by Julian Sayin. Sayin gets to throw to the best wide receiver in college football, Jeremiah Smith. This Illinois defense has been abysmal against the pass, ranking 114th in defensive EPA/pass. The Buckeyes should hang a huge number in this game. Illinois should only need to put a couple of scores up to get this game over the total. They have been strong in the passing game and should hit a couple of explosives to ensure they get points on the board. These two teams should be able to rack up enough points to clear this total.
