Ohio State at Illinois odds: Opening point spread revealed

On Saturday, Illinois will host Ohio State inside Memorial Stadium. Fighting Illini fans will undoubtedly pack the venue as they look for their team to pick up its first home win over the Buckeyes since 2002.

Ohio State boasts a 68-30-4 all-time record against Illinois. Despite being in the same conference, the two programs haven’t met since 2017, when the Buckeyes secured a dominant 52-14 victory.

While oddsmakers don’t expect Ohio State to run away with another 38-point blowout, they are confident the Buckeyes will win. According to BetMGM, Ohio State is a 14.5-point favorite over Illinois. The over/under for the game is set at 50.5 points.

How to watch Ohio State at Illinois

Time: Saturday, Oct. 11 | Noon ET
Channel: FOX
Location: Memorial Stadium — Champaign, IL

Illinois has had its ups and downs this season. The Fighting Illini were ranked No. 9 in the country after their first three games. However, they quickly lost respect when they suffered a 63-10 loss to Indiana.

Alas, Illinois didn’t wallow in self-pity. Instead, the team picked itself up and bounced back the following week with a hard-fought 34-32 win over USC.

In the win, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was sensational, completing 20-of-his-26 pass attempts for 328 yards and two touchdowns, without throwing an interception. Altmyer also recorded a rushing score.

While it was an overall strong performance for Illinois, the team’s defense continued to show weaknesses. Illinois allowed USC to amass 490 yards of total offense. The Fighting Illini can’t afford to allow Ohio State’s offense to get hot on Saturday.

After all, the Buckeyes have arguably the best wide receiver in the country on their team. Jeremiah Smith has been spectacular again this season thus far after a relatively quiet outing in Ohio State’s season-opening win against Texas.

In Weeks 2 and 3, Smith turned heads when he tallied a combined 272 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 14 catches. When Smith does have a slow day, Ohio State’s defense has his back.

Texas, which was regarded as one of the best offenses in college football at the start of the season, only seven points against the Buckeyes. Illinois’ offense will have its work cut out for it this weekend.

Ohio State and Illinois will clash at noon ET on Saturday. The game will air live on FOX.

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