Greg McElroy picks Ohio State to win, cover at Illinois

For the first time since Aug. 30, No. 1 Ohio State will face a ranked opponent this weekend.

The Buckeyes will travel to Champaign, Ill., for a Big Ten clash against No. 17 Illinois. Ohio State heads into the game with a perfect 5-0 record, while the Fighting Illini sit at 5-1. Their lone loss came at the hands of then-No. 19-ranked Indiana (63-10) on Sept. 20.

Ahead of the Top 25 matchup this weekend, ESPN‘s Greg McElroy has made his prediction for the outcome. He called his shot on the latest edition of the ‘Always College Football‘ podcast.

“Illinois is gonna have to win some hidden yardage to be able to get this win,” McElroy said. “But I don’t know how they do it. Ohio State is an absolute wrecking crew. I think they go on the road and their recipe has been tested on the road against Washington. I think they handle business. I’d lay the points with the Buckeyes this weekend.”

Ohio State hasn’t just been good this season; it’s been dominant. The Buckeyes have yet to allow an opponent to score more than 10 points in a game this season, and have allowed just 25 points combined through five games. That’s good for an average of five allowed points per game. It’s also allowed just two total touchdowns, one of which was scored by Ohio. The other was scored by Texas in the season opener.

Ohio State leads all-time series against Illinois 68-30-4

Along with the best defense in the country, sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin continues to get more and more comfortable with each passing game. He’s up to 1,313 passing yards this season with 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His 85.8 QBR ranks eighth in the nation. Superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has been his go-to playmaker, as he leads the team in both receiving yards (463) and receiving touchdowns (6).

Meanwhile, Illinois has bounced back nicely from its blowout loss to Indiana in late September. The Illini held off then-No. 21 USC two weeks ago thanks to a game-winning David Olano 41-yard field goal with no time remaining. They then downed Purdue 43-27 last weekend to improve to 5-1 on the season. Bret Bielema‘s team is the lone program in the Big Ten to have played six games this season.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer has been flawless this season, as he’s passed for 1,573 yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions this season. It will take a Herculean effort from Altmyer and his offense to score at least more than 10 points against the Buckeyes this weekend.

Kickoff between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 17 Illinois this Saturday is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on FOX.

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