The Ohio State Buckeyes host the Illinois Fighting Illini in a great Big 10 battle. The game will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State is a 27.5-point favorite against Illinois on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Fighting Illini are +1600 to pull off the upset.
Ohio State vs. Illinois Player Prop Best Bets
Illinois has had one of the worst defenses in college football this season. They gave up 23 points at home to UAB, and then 31 points at home against Duke. Even Southern Illinois was able to move the ball against the Illini in Champaign last week. After three straight home games, the Illini are finally heading out on the road to face one of the best teams in the country. This could be a serious beatdown by the Buckeyes.
The Fighting Illini rank 105th in the country in defensive success rate and 116th in defensive EPA/play. The Buckeyes rank in the top 20 in the nation in both offensive success rate and offensive EPA/play. They should pick the Illini defense apart in this game and get a few touchdowns on the board.
Brandon Inniss 28+ Receiving Yards (-115)
Brandon Inniss has spent his career being the forgotten man at Ohio State. Inniss was a highly-rated recruit out of high school and came to WRU to reach his potential. However, Inniss has never quite broken through, consistently playing the WR3 or WR4 role behind the likes of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Carnell Tate. Jeremiah Smith is the clear WR1 on this team, but Inniss and Devin McCuin are in competition for the WR2 spot on this team. Inniss made a huge play last week against Kent State, catching Julian Sayin’s Hail Mary at the end of the first half.
Inniss has at least 36 receiving yards in both games in both games this season that weren’t against the elite Texas defense. The Ohio State offense should carve up the Illinois secondary, and Inniss should hit this number for the third time in four games this season.
Ja’Kobi Jackson Anytime TD (-120)
Ja’Kobi Jackson is the RB2 behind Bo Jackson in this offense, but has been a key player for Ohio State through three weeks. He has gotten plenty of touches, especially at the goal line. Bo Jackson is just not a goal-line running back. Last season, Bo Jackson was the lead back, but CJ Donaldson scored 10 rushing touchdowns as the RB2. Bo Jackson only ran for six touchdowns. The same thing is happening again this season. Bo Jackson is the RB1, but only has two rushing touchdowns, compared to Ja’Kobi Jackson’s four rushing touchdowns.
Ja’Kobi Jackson has at least one rushing touchdown in all three games this season, including racking up two scores last week. He gets meaningful goal-line touches, as he did in the game against Texas. However, in a game where Ohio State will likely be leading big in the second half, he should get an even bigger share of the carries. Jackson should make it four straight games with a touchdown to start the season.
