Game Information
#17 Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1) vs #1 Ohio State (5-0)
Time: 11am CT Saturday
How to watch: FOX
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Ohio State -14
Total: 50.5
The #17 Illinois Fighting Illini get their shot at the #1 team in the country when the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes roll into Champaign for an 11am kickoff on Saturday.
The odds suggest the implied score of this game is around 31-17 in favor of the Buckeyes. When thinking of the game from that perspective, I think it’s more likely Ohio State gets to 31 than Illinois gets to 17.
The Buckeyes are usually among the top defensive teams in the country, and that is certainly the case once again this year. They have yet to give up double digit points in a game this season - and that includes two Big Ten matchups and a non-conference game against Texas.
Washington was a trendy pick to cover or maybe even potentially upset Ohio State a couple weeks ago in Seattle. The Buckeyes proceeded to suffocate the Huskies on their way to a comfortable 24-6 victory.
This Ohio State defense is elite, and while I think Illinois has the best offense they’ve faced this season, I can’t fade the Buckeyes until a team shows me they can put up some points against them.
On the other side, I think Ohio State has a very good chance to score at least 30 on Illinois. The Illini defense has not been good in conference play. They got ripped apart by Indiana for 63 points, then USC scored 32 while racking up almost 500 yards, and even Purdue put up 27 while also getting close to 500 yards.
I think Illinois getting to 17 points would be an impressive achievement against this defense, while I think it’s more likely than not that Ohio State scores at least 30. If you share that opinion, there’s only one way to lean in this game.
Lean: Ohio State -14 at -115 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer