Vacation is over for Illinois football.
It’s time to get back into the Ohio State business.
No. 1 Ohio State (-14½) at No. 17 Illinois (11 a.m., Fox 32, 890-AM) brings the lethal Buckeyes (5-0) to Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2015, and it’s the first game between the schools since 2017. When you get to go that long without having to deal with the Big Ten’s preeminent powerhouse — a 2020 meeting was canceled due to COVID-19 — you count yourself very lucky.
The Illini (5-1) are a sparkling 9-1 over their last 10 games, dating to last season, only their second such stretch this century and their first since 2001. The Buckeyes have won nine straight, starting with last season’s run through the College Football Playoff, and are on the verge of a fourth double-digit-game winning streak in Ryan Day’s six and a half seasons as coach. It’s Day’s first game against Illinois — he has faced other Big Ten foes as many as six times — and his record in the league is an outrageous 48-5.
It has been 18 years since Illinois last beat a No. 1. That unforgettable win came at Ohio State and propelled the Illini to the Rose Bowl.
Fifteen years ago, Illini coach Bret Bielema had one of his finest moments against Ohio State. It was his fifth season at Wisconsin, and the Badgers were ranked 18th when they hosted and smacked around the No. 1 Buckeyes 31-18. But those Badgers could run the ball on anybody, and they rallied defensively around a breakout star named J.J. Watt. Also, the gulf then between the Buckeyes and the typical better-than-average team in the conference wasn’t as wide as it has become in the pay-for-play era.
But let’s appreciate the Illini for a minute. They have 11 one-score wins since the start of the 2023 season, seven of those as underdogs. Their third-year-starting quarterback, Luke Altmyer, has 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions and ranks fifth nationally in passing efficiency. They’re tied atop the Big Ten in turnover margin (plus-five) and have a unique weapon in Hank Beatty, the only player in the country with touchdowns as a receiver, runner, passer and punt returner.
That’s all pretty nice. Maybe not as nice as Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin’s best-anywhere 80.2% completion rate, unsurpassed receiving duo Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate and — lordy — a defense that has allowed all of two touchdowns so far, but nice.
“I like our guys, like their attitude, like their demeanor,” Bielema said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever played a game yet where we put it all together for four quarters, and there’d be no better time than this week. This is a team [against which] you need your best from the opening snap to the last snap.”
Would even that be enough? Buckeyes, 31-23.
OTHER WEEK 7 PICKS
All games are Saturday.
No. 8 Alabama (-3½) at No. 14 Missouri (11 a.m., ABC 7): The Tigers have rushed for nearly 300 yards per game, have electric stars in back Ahmad Hardy and receiver Kevin Coleman Jr., have yet to have to leave Columbia to play and are coming off a bye week. Against the Tide, who’ve survived back-to-back grinders against Georgia and Vanderbilt, there could be decided advantages in rest and preparation. Shake up the SEC for real with a three-point upset.
No. 7 Indiana (+7) at No. 3 Oregon (2:30 p.m., CBS 2): If the doubt-’em-if-you-dare Hoosiers pull this one off, we’ll officially throw our support behind coach Curt Cignetti for leader of the free world. But they’re not pulling it off … are they? Ducks, 34-21.
Northwestern (+21½) at Penn State (2:30 p.m., FS1, 720-AM): The Wildcats beat UCLA. The Nittany Lions lost to UCLA. Therefore, the Wildcats are better than the Nittany Lions. Isn’t that how this works? No, no, it isn’t. It’s a two-touchdown minimum for NU on offense if it’s going to cover. PSU pulls away, 38-13.
NC State (+23½) at No. 16 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., Peacock, 780-AM): The Irish defense has come around. The offense is rolling. The margin for error, playoff-wise, is nonexistent, an absolute motivator. There’s another team to consider here, of course — the Wolfpack check in at 447.7 yards and 33.8 points per game — but the weather is nice and the forecast calls for a mismatch. Irish, 42-20.
My favorite favorite: Iowa (-3) at Wisconsin (6 p.m., FS1): A night game at Camp Randall isn’t what it used to be. The Hawkeyes — who’ve won by 14 in 2022, by nine in 2023 and by 32 in 2024 — again hoist the Heartland Trophy.
My favorite underdog: Texas (+1½) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (2:30 p.m., ABC 7): The Sooners have the shiny ranking. The two-loss Longhorns have faded out of the Top 25 and haven’t won consecutive games in the series since 2008 and 2009. But this is the Red River Rivalry — a neutral-site game like no other — where the only rule is anything goes. Hook ’Em, 27-20.
Last week: 7-0 straight-up, 5-2 against the spread.
Season to date: 28-14, 21-21.