A key Big Ten battle will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26 in Columbus, Ohio, with the Illinois Fighting Illini visiting the Ohio State Buckeyes at noon ET. The Illini are coming off a 48-10 win over Southern Illinois and are seeking a third consecutive season with at least nine wins. The Buckeyes dominated Kent State 59-3 in Week 3. We'll dive into Illinois vs. Ohio State in Week 4 of the 2026 college football season below, including the best bets you can make at top sports betting apps for Saturday's game. Bet on Illinois vs. Ohio State in Week 4 at DraftKings and get $150 in bonus bets when you spend $5+:
Both teams enter this contest with one loss on the season. Illinois fell to Duke in Week 2 while Ohio State collapsed against Texas on the road. Bret Bielema has turned Illinois into a solid team in the Big Ten, but this could be a retooling season after several key players departed from last year's nine-win squad. Ryan Day suffered another loss to a highly-ranked team, but his Buckeyes remain in contention for another national championship as long as they can take of business the rest of the way. We'll look at the latest Illinois vs. Ohio State odds at DraftKings Sportsbook and insights from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It is off to a profitable 22-19 start on all top-rated college football picks at betting sites so far this season, and it has been upgraded for the 2026 season to better factor in the transfer portal. Anybody following its picks on college football betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Illinois vs. Ohio State betting odds (via DraftKings)
| Illinois vs. Ohio State money line: | Illinois +1600, Ohio State -4000 |
| Illinois vs. Ohio State over/under: | 53.5 (Over -115, Under -105) |
| Illinois vs. Ohio State spread: | Ohio State -25.5 |
Illinois vs. Ohio State betting preview
These teams met in Champaign a season ago, where Ohio State forced three turnovers in a 34-16 victory. The Buckeyes didn't put up gaudy numbers offensively but took advantage of short fields and Illinois' miscues. East Carolina transfer Katin Houser is in at quarterback and he's been good so far with nine total touchdowns and just two interceptions. Collin Dixon has caught seven of Houser's eight passing touchdowns, so that duo will likely command most of Ohio State's attention in this contest.
The Buckeyes have their own star receiver in Jeremiah Smith, who was dominant for most of the game against Texas before disappearing in the fourth quarter. Julian Sayin is back as well, but Ohio State's run game and secondary skill players need to improve for this team to truly compete for a championship. Ohio State's defense has held its own and will have confidence after shining in this game last year.
Illinois vs. Ohio State picks, prediction
Illinois-Ohio State Under 53.5
These two sides finished Under 53.5 points a season ago. While Houser has been great to start the year for Illinois, this will be one of the toughest defenses he'll face all season. Ohio State's offense is explosive but can get clunky at times once teams take away Smith and force Sayin to look elsewhere. The spread suggests Ohio State will pull away, but the model sees value on Illinois both as an ATS and money line pick. I'll go with an over/under bet though, as Under 53.5 hits in 57.9% of SportsLine simulations for an 'A' grade.
