Ohio State opens as a major favorite in its first Big Ten game of the year against Illinois.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are opening their Big Ten season with an interesting matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The Buckeyes open as major favorites against the Illini and for good reason. Ever since last year, when Illinois got drilled by the Indiana Hoosiers, they have been on a downward trend. They scuffled to end last year, and this year isn't off to all that great a start.
They won their two buy games against Southern Illinois and UAB. Sandwiched between those two games is a very weird loss to an ascending Duke Blue Devils team. The Illinois program does feel like it is at an inflection point where they need some things to go their way, or else head coach Brett Bielema is going to feel his seat heating up.
It is going to take a miracle this weekend because the Buckeyes are coming into this one still with a bad taste in their mouth after the loss to Texas a couple of weeks ago. The blowout win against Kent State hardly comforts the wound that one left. This will be their first chance to scratch that itch, and they will plan to do so.
Ohio State comes into this one as a 27.5-point favorite over Illinois. They are tied with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the biggest spread in the Big Ten this upcoming weekend. Notre Dame is 27.5 favorites over Purdue, while the Buckeyes are that favorite against Illinois.
Last year, Ohio State took care of business in convincing fashion against the Illini. It was the Buckeyes first test of the year, and the fanbase was excited to see what they were going to get from the Buckeyes.
Well, they had a dominant team that got up early and never looked back. They took a 20-3 lead into the break and then just coasted to the finish line with a 34-16 final.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Buckeyes will not do any coasting in this game or any of the others going forward. They learned their lesson against the Texas Longhorns not to pull off the gas at all.
We will see soon if that lesson is one that is going to stick with this team and this coaching staff.
Ohio State's gauntlet of Big Ten play gets going this weekend. They are massive favorites in the game but we have seen crazier things happen. The Buckeyes will have their "A-Game" on Saturday.
