College Football Game Day: Illinois vs Ohio State
Illinois Fighting Illini (1-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) at Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS)
Saturday September 26: 3:30 p.m.
BetUS Football Betting Odds: Ohio State -14, Total Points: 50
Coming off a very impressive 38-0 victory over Toledo last Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes welcome a familiar foe to the Horseshoe this weekend, and one that always seems to give them trouble.
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Illinois comes to Columbus Saturday, and despite their 1-1 record, don’t be fooled, they’ll be ready to play. It was just two years ago that this same Fighting Illini team went on the road and shocked a No. 1 ranked Ohio State 28-21, en route to one of their best seasons in recent memory, and a trip to the Rose Bowl. 
To pull the upset Saturday though, Illinois will have to get healthy in a hurry, as several key players have already suffered injuries early in the season. Although he should be available to play this weekend, top receiver Arrelious Benn has been limited to just one catch this season because of an ankle injury suffered in Week 1 against Missouri. Although Benn will be in action, the same cannot be said for starting linebacker and defensive leader Martez Wilson, who will be out the remainder of the season with a neck injury. Even durable quarterback Juice Williams left last Saturday’s win over Illinois State with a quad injury, although like Benn, will be on the field Saturday.
As for Ohio State, after losing to Southern Cal two weeks ago, they put the disappointing loss behind them, and took out all their frustration on last week’s opponent, Toledo.
In the game, Ohio State was clicking on all cylinders, led by their do-it-all quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor was his usual phenomenal self, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another 110 yards on the ground. It should be noted however, that he did throw two interceptions as well.
His defense may have been even better, as they allowed Toledo just 210 yards of total offense, just 13 of them rushing.
But the question has to be asked, can an Illinois team that always seems to play Ohio State tough, cover a two touchdown spread, or even more, pull the upset?
If the first two games are any indication, it’s going to be tough. In those games, Illinois has given up close to 700 yards of passing offense, which right now has them ranked second to last in the country. What is even more concerning is that in their first game, Illinois played a quarterback in Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert making his first career start. The second game was against I-AA Illinois State.
And the way that Pryor and his defense reacted to their loss to USC proves that they mean business. While they might not pitch a shutout Saturday, look for Ohio State put the ghost of 2007 behind them and cover the two touchdowns against Illinois.
OUR Pick: Ohio State -14
