Ohio State Buckeyes vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/11/2025

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 11, 2025

Venue:  University of Illinois Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Ohio State -15.5, Illinois +15.5; Over/Under:  50.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Ohio State -16, Illinois +16; Over/Under:  50.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Ohio State -16.5, Illinois +16.5; Over/Under:  50.5 points

Ohio State Buckeyes:  5-0 (2-0) (3rd place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  5-1 (2-1) (5th place, Big Ten)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Nelly’s Sports is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 14-6-1 CFB RUN for +$7,450 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  won their last game at home against the Minnesota Golden Gophers 42-3.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  won their last game on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers 43-27.

Ohio State is entering this game with a 5-0 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Minnesota 42-3. Julian Sayin was the starting QB and he completed 23/27 passes for 326 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Bo Jackson led the team in rushing yards with 63 and 1 TD. Carnell Tate led the receivers with 183 receiving yards on 9 receptions and 1 TD. Sonny Styles led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Arvell Reese led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Illinois is entering this game with a 5-1 record overall and they have a 2-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Purdue 43-27. Luke Altmyer was the starting QB and he completed 19/22 passes for 390 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Ca'Lil Valentine led the team in rushing yards with 95 and 1 TD. Hank Beatty led the receivers with 186 receiving yards on 5 receptions and 1 TD. Jaheim Clarke led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Angelo McCullom led the defense in sacks with 1.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 15.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State has looked great in their games this season with their 5-0 record overall and their 2-0 conference record which has them right at the top of the Big Ten. They are off a 42-3 win over Minnesota in their last one and they have been rolling over teams in their games lately, also ranked number 1 overall in the nation. Meanwhile, Illinois has looked really good in their games this season with their 5-1 record overall and their 2-1 conference record. They are off a 43-27 win over Purdue in their last one and that came right after knocking off a ranked USC team at home, but their defense has given up a ton of points in these 2 games and their defense has been a big issue all season. They have been giving up a ton of points all year and as good as they have been lately, they have already shown that they can't go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in their own conference. Their only loss this season was on the road against Indiana and they were run off the field in a 63-10 loss. Now Illinois is going on the road again in the conference to take on the number 1 team in the nation who is also the defending National Champions and Illinois is going to struggle to be competitive in this one. Ohio State still has one of the best defenses in the nation so Illinois won't be able to put up points easily, and that Illinois defense doesn't stand a chance against this Ohio State offense that has been getting better every week. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game. 

Ohio State Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 11, 2025 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 38 Illinois 13.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Ohio State Buckeyes Illinois Fighting Illini prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 21-11 ATS in all lined games. 21-10 ATS as a favorite. 15-6 ATS after allowing 14 points or less last game. 13-3 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 21-13 UNDER in all lined games. 7-2 UNDER as a road favorite. 11-4 UNDER after scoring 37 points or more last game. 

Illinois Fighting Illini: 4-7 ATS after playing their last game on the road. 13-24 ATS at home versus good offensive teams - averaging 425 yards/game or more. 11-20 ATS at home off a road win against a conference rival. 8-3 UNDER in home lined games. 5-0 UNDER after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. 

Ohio State Buckeyes:  M. Maggs (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Roy (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Stewart (S) Questionable - Undisclosed. I. Jones (S) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Tounkara (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Rodgers (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Rogers (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Moore (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. E. Mensah (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  L. Zardzin (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Clawson (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Knapik (OG) Questionable - Knee. D. Brown (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. X. Scott (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Farrell (TE) Out - Undisclosed. T. Cox (CB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Forster (RB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Hirdes (OG) Out - Knee. G. Smith (TE) Out - Undisclosed.

“Julian is playing with more confidence and we wanted to put more on his plate this week. We felt like he had a good week of practice. You know when you can be accurate underneath and get the ball out quick but then also down the field, that’s when our offense can really be clicking on all cylinders.” - Ryan Day after his team’s win against Minnesota in their last game. 

“I’ve been in this business a long time and had a lot of quarterbacks. And this guy is as good as I’ve ever had.” - Bret Bielema after his team’s win against Purdue in their last game. 

WR Tate, Carnell

WR Smith, Jeremiah

WR Inniss, Brandon

TE Kacmarek, Will

QB Sayin, Julian

RB Donaldson, CJ

WR Clement, Hudson

WR Elzy, Malik

WR Dixon, Collin

TE Arkin, Tanner

TE Stoffel, Davin

QB Altmyer, Luke

RB Laughery, Aidan

Passing: Julian Sayin (1,313)

Rushing: Bo Jackson (360)

Receiving: Jeremiah Smith (463)

Touchdowns: Jeremiah Smith (7)

Passing: Luke Altmyer (1,573)

Rushing: Ca'Lil Valentine (323)

Receiving: Hank Beatty (569)

Touchdowns: Kaden Feagin (6)

Coaches:

Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (8th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Bret Bielema (5th season)