Buckeyes’ Biggest Question Heading Into Illinois 'Big Noon Kickoff' Rematch

The newly ranked No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes protected their home-field advantage Saturday with a 59-3 thumping of the Kent State Golden Flashes to move to 2-1, ahead of Big Ten play beginning next Saturday (noon ET, Fox) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, against Big Ten foe Illinois.

Despite wide receiver Jeremiah Smith breaking the all-time school record for receiving yards to surpass Michael Jenkins with 2,958, the Buckeyes will quickly shift their focus to preparing for a Fighting Illini (2-1) team they beat last season, 34-16, but looks much different a year later in coach Bret Bielema's sixth season in Champaign.

The Illini lost their undrafted quarterback, Luke Altmyer, to the Detroit Lions' practice squad.

Altmyer, a former three-year Big Ten collegiate starter who transferred in from Ole Miss ahead of the 2023 season and helped lead his team to back-to-back bowl wins the last two seasons, a stretch in which they finished 19-7 with key postseason wins against the South Carolina Gamecocks (2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl) and Tennessee Volunteers (2025 Music City Bowl). Altmyer is also widely considered one of Illinois' greatest quarterbacks in school history.

Altmyer began his Illini career without postseason success, as the team stumbled to 5-7 while Ohio State contended for titles (and won it all in 2024-25).

Defensively, linebacker Gabe Jacas (now a rookie with the New England Patriots) led the way for a team that secured key home wins against the USC Trojans, Purdue Boilermakers, and Northwestern Wildcats over the last two seasons.

A lack of retention was apparent for this year's Illini team, a team that scored the most points against the Buckeyes of all of Ohio State's regular-season opponents during their Illibuck Trophy tilt in a battle of ranked opponents last year (No. 1 vs. No. 17). Ohio State, meanwhile, had an historic NFL Draft in April with 11 players making the next-level jump.

Can Ohio State Gameplan for Elite Illinois Wideout?

Ryan Day before Kent State — Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks into Ohio Stadium with his team NCAA football game against Kent State Golden Flashes on Sept. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This season, Illinois has relied on the dynamic duo of transfer senior quarterback Katin Houser, who previously played for the East Carolina Pirates and Michigan State Spartans, and his top receiving threat, junior Collin Dixon.

#Illini Bret Bielema on Collin Dixon, who has seven receiving touchdowns through three weeks:

"It's incredible... He's so humble. He works his absolute ass off every day. He's super intelligent. Comprehends and understands football very, very quickly... He's really special."… pic.twitter.com/T3ZatOwAMO
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) September 19, 2026

Dixon set the Illinois single-season record for most touchdowns at Gies Memorial Stadium in Saturday's 48-10 rout against Southern Illinois. Dixon surpassed Denver Broncos wideout Pat Bryant, who caught six in 2024 en route to an eventual 10-win season in Champaign.

"It's incredible," Bielema told me regarding Dixon following Illinois' win in Champaign. "He's so humble. He works his absolute ass off every day. He's super intelligent. Comprehends and understands football very, very quickly... He's really special."

Despite Ohio State not having lost to Illinois since a 28-21 thriller in Columbus on Nov. 10, 2007, when it was the No. 1 team in the nation, crazier things have happened. Of all the keys to win the game, however, double- or triple-teaming Dixon, whose seven touchdowns are the most by any receiver through three weeks, should be one of its biggest points of emphasis.

Come Saturday, we'll see if the Buckeyes will do enough to preserve their top-10 AP Poll ranking and begin conference play 1-0.

The game is the featured Big Noon Kickoff game, the Buckeyes' second this season.

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