Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Complete Game Preview

A week after escaping Happy Valley with a 31-24 overtime win over Penn State, the Ohio State football team will return to action on Saturday for a prime-time matchup with Illinois. All eyes might already be looking at the Buckeyes’ Nov. 8 matchup with Michigan State, but Ohio State must first past make it past a Fighting Illini team that’s riding some momentum of its own.

With the Spartans sitting at 7-1 and enjoying a bye week, the Buckeyes will hope to match MSU’s record with a win on Saturday, making the much-anticipated showdown between the two squads a de facto Big Ten East championship game. After averaging 56 points per game from Sept. 13-Oct. 18, Ohio State came back to Earth against the Nittany Lions but will hope to head to East Lansing on a high note.

Illinois, meanwhile, managed to end a three-game losing streak last Saturday with an impressive 28-24 win over 6-2 Minnesota. Whether that game says more about the Illini or Golden Gophers remains to be seen, but it could be the start of a much-needed second-half surge for Tim Beckman’s 4-4 team.

Whether the Buckeyes will regain momentum or Illinois will maintain it will be determined on Saturday. Until then, here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s Big Ten battle:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 1

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Place: Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio

TV: ABC, ESPN 3

Radio: Ohio State Football Radio Network, Fighting Illini Radio Network

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