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First Look at Illinois Football Week 4 Opponent: Ohio State Buckeyes

Illinois opens Big Ten play on the road with its toughest test yet, traveling to Columbus for a matchup with a dangerous Buckeyes squad
Pranav Hegde|
Sep 19, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) celebrates with fans after the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) celebrates with fans after the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Illinois Fighting IlliniOhio State Buckeyes

So much for easing into Big Ten play: After taking care of Southern Illinois 48-10 in Week 3, Illinois (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) will head to Columbus this coming Saturday to take on No. 7 Ohio State (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in both teams' conference opener (FOX, 11 a.m. CT). The Buckeyes are also coming off a blowout, having dismantled Kent State 59-3.

Ohio State at a glance

For once, the Buckeyes enter an Illinois matchup looking slightly less than invincible.

Ohio State opened the season as the nation’s No. 1 team and immediately looked the part, pounding Ball State 56-3. A week later, however, things fell apart in spectacular fashion. The Buckeyes took a 23-3 lead into the fourth quarter at Texas, only to surrender 21 unanswered points and lose 24-23 on a touchdown with 25 seconds remaining.

Any Illini hopes that the loss might send Ohio State spiraling were quickly erased Saturday. The Buckeyes led Kent State 35-0 at halftime before cruising to a 59-3 victory.

So, yes, the Buckeyes have shown they can be beaten. Unfortunately for Illinois, they have also shown they are still very much Ohio State.

The Buckeyes on the field

Offense

The offense starts with junior quarterback Julian Sayin, who is coming off one of the most efficient passing seasons in college football history and has picked up right where he left off. Through three games, Sayin has thrown for 839 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception. He was sharp again against Kent State, completing 18 of 22 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns after throwing for 278 yards a week earlier against Texas.

Of course, having Jeremiah Smith on the other end of those passes makes life a little easier.

Smith has somehow gotten even more ridiculously productive, totaling 21 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns through three games. He torched Texas for eight receptions, 164 yards and a touchdown, then followed it up with 85 more yards against Kent State. That performance also made him Ohio State’s all-time leader in career receiving yards – as a junior.

And if Illinois decides the solution is simply to devote everything to stopping Sayin and Smith, Ohio State can just hand the ball off instead. Sophomore Bo Jackson – no, not that Bo that you know – has rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, while Ja’Kobi Jackson gives the Buckeyes another bruising option out of the backfield. The duo combined for 120 yards and three touchdowns against Kent State, giving Ohio State yet another way to make defensive coordinators reconsider their career choices.

Defense

Ohio State lost eight starters from last season’s defense, but so far, it hardly looks like the Buckeyes have missed a beat. Through three games, they have allowed just 30 total points and again appear to be loaded with talent at every level.

Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia deserves plenty of credit. Now in his second season at Ohio State, Patricia led one of the nation’s top defenses on his maiden voyage in Columbus and brings plenty of NFL experience, including two Super Bowl wins as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator.

The names have changed, but Ohio State’s defense still looks every bit as dangerous as the one Illinois saw a year ago.

Illinois vs. Ohio State matchup

This is about as difficult a Big Ten opener as Illinois could have asked for.

Ohio State has advantages just about everywhere, and Illinois' 3-3-5 defense – still in the proof-of-concept stage – will somehow have to slow down a loaded Buckeyes backfield without letting Sayin and Smith turn the Illini secondary into a highlight reel.

Realistically, it may take something bordering on the supernatural for Illinois to still have a chance in the fourth quarter. But if the Illini can summon whatever is necessary to get there, things could get interesting.

Ohio State has repeatedly found itself on the wrong end of tight finishes: Ryan Day's Buckeyes are just 3-4 in one-score games over the past three seasons. Even this year's loss to Texas came after Ohio State somehow turned a 23-3 fourth-quarter lead into a defeat.

So Illinois’ game plan might be simple: survive long enough to make Ohio State nervous. The Buckeyes have shown they can be susceptible to cracking under late-game pressure. The hard part for Illinois will be sticking around long enough to apply any.

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Pranav Hegde
PRANAV HEGDE

Primarily covers Illinois football, basketball and golf, with an emphasis on news, analysis and features. Hegde, an electrical engineering student at Illinois with an affinity for sports writing, has been writing for On SI since April 2025. He can be followed and reached on Instagram @pranavhegde__.

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