COLUMBUS — No. 7 Ohio State opens Big Ten play today, hosting Illinois at noon at Ohio Stadium in the renewal of the Illibuck rivalry. The game airs nationally on Fox, with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call and Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines.
Both teams are 2-1, and Illinois is playing its first road game of the season. The Illini opened with a 42-23 win over UAB, fell 31-27 to Duke and bounced back with a 48-10 rout of Southern Illinois. Quarterback Katin Houser has completed 74 percent of his passes for 758 yards and eight touchdowns, with Collin Dixon hauling in 25 catches for 367 yards and seven scores.
Saturday marks the 105th meeting between the programs, and the Illibuck trophy — a wooden turtle replica with a tradition dating to 1924 — is on the line. Ohio State leads the series 70-30-4 and has won 10 straight meetings; Illinois’ last win came in 2007, a 28-21 upset of the top-ranked Buckeyes in Columbus. This is the Illini’s first visit to Ohio Stadium since 2017.
For the Buckeyes, quarterback Julian Sayin has thrown for 839 yards and six touchdowns against one interception, and Jeremiah Smith has 400 receiving yards and three scores. Head coach Ryan Day has publicly challenged his tailbacks to run “angry and physical” after a sluggish start to the ground game, with Bo Jackson leading the team at 230 rushing yards.
Illinois’ defense has been a concern against weaker competition — a bad sign against Ohio State’s offensive firepower. But the Illini offense has been humming, and a noon kickoff at the Horseshoe is never routine.
Kickoff is at noon ET. Streaming options include FuboTV, which may offer a free trial to new subscribers.
