Ohio State vs. Illinois Picks and Prediction, Saturday, October 11, 2025
Use Code WWWC The #1 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) and the #17 Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1) will meet in FOX's Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday for a Big Ten showdown in this Ohio State vs. Illinois prediction. These teams did not meet last season. Ohio State is coming off a 42-3 home win over Minnesota, covering the 23.5-point spread in the process. Illinois just won on the road against Purdue 43-27, covering as 7.5-point favorites. Kickoff is set for 12:00 EST and can be found on FOX. See below for our Ohio State vs. Illinois prediction, and check out all of our best NCAAF Predictions!
Ohio State is Still First
The Ohio State Buckeyes still hold the top spot in the AP Top 25, which they earned in early September after taking down the Texas Longhorns, who were previously ranked number one. Since then, the Buckeyes have played a bunch of unranked opponents, but left no doubt as they won each of their last four games by at least 18 points. They are 2-0 in league play in the Big Ten, as they picked up a win on the road in Washington, then buried Minnesota at home. In the Minnesota game, Julian Sayin was electric with 326 passing yards and a 3-0 TD-INT ratio.
Sayin only threw 12 passes last year as a freshman, but he is the unquestioned starter this year and has been impressive over his first five games. He has amassed 1,313 passing yards so far with a ridiculous 80.2% completion rate and a 13-1 TD-INT ratio. Sayin has passed for over 300 yards in three of his five starts this season, but rarely ever looks to run as he has only seven rush yards on the season. Their top rusher is freshman Bo Jackson, who has 360 yards and two touchdowns, and is coming off a game with 63 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota.
Jeremiah Smith is one of the best receivers in the nation and will likely be playing on Sundays someday in the near future. He has 35 catches already for 463 yards and six touchdowns. Smith is a 6'3 receiver, as is Carnell Tate, who has added another 435 yards and four touchdowns as a junior. Their defense has 14 sacks and two interceptions on the year, with defensive end Caden Curry leading the team with five sacks.
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The Fighting Illini Still Have Time
The Illinois Fighting Illini were ranked 9th in the nation, then they headed to Indiana to take on the 19th-ranked Hoosiers, but that game turned into a true nightmare. Illinois got run off the field in the 63-10 loss, but they still have time to turn around the season. Illinois bounced back with a strong win over #21 USC, then went into Purdue and picked up another win last week. In the win over Purdue, Luke Altmyer was on fire with 390 passing yards on 19-22 passing in the win.
Altmyer is their 6'2 senior quarterback who has been the starter for Illinois in each of the past three seasons after starting his career with Ole Miss. He has 1,573 passing yards over his first five games, with a 73.6% completion rate and a clean 12-0 TD-INT ratio. He has been impressive since the Indiana loss, passing for 328 yards against USC in the win, then the 390-yard game last week against Purdue. Altmyer will not look to run much and will hand the ball off to Ca'Lil Valentine, who leads the 323 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore back.
Hank Beatty is their 5'11 senior receiver who is putting up massive numbers in his fourth and final season with the team. Beatty has 569 yards and two touchdowns, and just had 186 receiving yards in the Purdue win. Their defense has 15 sacks with two interceptions, as Gabe Jacas has been their top pass rusher with four sacks from his linebacker position.
Ohio State vs. Illinois Prediction and Picks
Spread Pick for Ohio State vs. Illinois
- Illinois +14.5 (5 units)
With this number being hung above two touchdowns, Illinois is the play for the early kickoff in this ranked battle. Ohio State beat Texas in the first week of the season, but that win looks less and less impressive as the season goes on, and Arch Manning no longer looks like the future superstar everyone predicted. Ohio State has not won a ranked game since the opener, and Illinois will need its best effort as this is their last chance for a massive win. The Illini did beat a ranked USC team, but the rest of their schedule after this game is against unranked conference opponents. Altmyer has been excellent over his last two games, passing for at least 325 yards each of their last two games. This number opened at 16.5, but heavy money on the Illini brought it down, follow the money.
Take Illinois plus the points.
Over/Under Pick for Ohio State vs. Illinois
- Over 50.5
Illinois wants to be able to keep this game close at home, but they also know they are not going to be able to keep Ohio State from reaching the endzone multiple times. This is far more likely to be a shootout than a low-scoring defensive battle, especially with each quarterback playing the way they have been to start the year. Altmyer has been untouchable for Illinois, as he has a 12-0 TD-INT ratio, and Julian Sayin's is just as good at 13-1. Illinois just scored 43 on a different Big Ten opponent, and Ohio State is fresh off a 42-point game against Minnesota. Expect plenty of points here.
Take the over.
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