Ohio State vs. Illinois Best College Football Prop Bets for Week 7

Ohio State is set to face it's second ranked opponent this season.

Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State are big-time favorites against Illinois on Saturday. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 1 Ohio State is still running hot and will face No. 17 Illinois at Gies Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Buckeyes will enter the matchup as a major 14.5-point road favorite after having dusted off Minnesota 42-3 in their last outing.

The Fighting Illini are in for a challenge against the nation’s top scoring defense. The stats of the top offensive weapons seem likely to take a major hit. Whether they can carry over some momentum from their explosive matchup with Purdue remains to be seen.

Here’s our breakdown for two prop bets worth considering ahead of kickoff.

Best Prop Bets for Ohio State vs. Illinois

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Luke Altmayer under 210.5 passing yards (-114)
• Bo Jackson over 77.5 rushing yards (-114)

Luke Altmayer under 210.5 passing yards

Don’t be fooled by Altmayer’s 390 passing yards against the Boilermakers. He’s gone over 300 passing yards in two straight contests, but is about to face a different kind of beast. We’ve seen what happens when he faces a top-notch defense against Indiana. 

Ohio State’s defense is giving up a minuscule 5.0 points per game ahead of this matchup. Only three teams have given up fewer passing yards than the Buckeyes this season. Altmayer only managed to put up 146 passing yards against the only top-10 passing defense he’s faced this season. 

Playing at home could help Altmayer a little, but he’s very unlikely to become the first quarterback to throw for 200 yards or more against Ohio State this season.

Bo Jackson over 77.5 rushing yards

Jackson didn’t get a chance to contribute against Texas in the season opener, but he hit the ground running by going over 100 rushing yards in each of his first two games this season. The freshman running backs’ talent has forced Ohio State to stop using a by-committee approach when it comes to the backfield and is gearing up for a big showing against Illinois.

The Fighting Illini have one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten right now. They’ve given up 2,327 yards through six games. They’re better against the run than they are against the pass, but that’s not saying much.

Jackson should get plenty of opportunities to gash a defense that’s giving up 6.1 yards per play before and after Ohio State’s passing game puts this game out of reach for Illinois. Only four Big Ten defenses are allowing more yards per carry (4.2) than Illinois.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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