Throughout the offseason, Ohio State fans looked at the 2025 schedule and circled the marquee games. That Team Up North and Penn State were the first two games circled. The next one on the list? Illinois.
This is a marquee game on Saturday for the Buckeyes. It’s on Big Noon Kickoff, it’s a road game, and it’s against a ranked opponent.
With conference realignment, this is a matchup we haven’t seen in a long time. Let’s look at the key numbers going into Saturday’s matchup.
2017
This is the first matchup
between Ohio State and Illinois in eight years. The Buckeyes won the last meeting 52-14 in Ohio Stadium.
These two teams were scheduled to meet on Nov. 28, 2020, but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 outbreaks. That was one of three games the Buckeyes had canceled that season.
The last time these two teams played in Champaign, Illinois, was in 2015, a game the Buckeyes won 28-3.
3
Illinois is one of three Big Ten teams that Ryan Day has not faced in his tenure as the Buckeyes head coach. The only other two teams are UCLA and USC. Ohio State will face UCLA this season on Nov. 15 in The Shoe.
25
This number applies in two ways. The Buckeyes have only allowed 25 total points this season, and Julian Sayin has thrown just 25 incompletions.
If anyone tells you there’s a better team in college football than Ohio State right now, tell them the above.
104
Despite going eight years without playing each other, Saturday will be the 104th meeting between Ohio State and Illinois. The first meeting between the two programs was in 1902.
Illinois is Ohio State’s second-most common opponent in school history, behind only Michigan.
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Illinois, 68-30-4, a record that includes a 36-11 mark in games played in Champaign. The game in 2010 is not included.
The Buckeyes won eight consecutive games against Illinois for their third-longest winning streak in the series after 15 and 11-game winning streaks from 1968-81 and 1935-45, respectively.
35
Saturday’s game against Illinois will be the 35th-ranked team the Buckeyes have faced in Ryan Day’s six-plus seasons as head coach. Ohio State is 25-9 in its previous 34 games with Day against ranked opponents.
14-0
The Buckeyes are undefeated in 14 games when Caden Curry records a tackle for loss. Curry leads the Buckeyes this season in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (8.5).
91-9
Since the 2013 season, Ohio State is 91-9 in its last 100 Big Ten games.
898
Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate have combined for 898 receiving yards through five games this season. They also have a combined 59 receptions and 10 touchdowns, with 16 receptions, 250 yards, and 3 touchdowns combined against Minnesota.
2001
This is the first ranked matchup between Ohio State and Illinois since 2001. No. 12 Illinois won that game over No. 25 Ohio State, 34-22.
11
Saturday will be the 11th time the Fighting Illini have hosted the No. 1 team in the country. The last time they hosted the No. 1 team was in 2006, when the Buckeyes won that game 17-10.
In addition, Saturday will also be the first time a ranked Illinois team hosts the No. 1 team since 1950. That was also against Ohio State.
8
Illinois leads the country with eight fumble recoveries. The Fighting Illini are also second in the nation with seven forced fumbles.
1924
That was the first year the Illibuck Trophy was awarded to the winner of the Ohio State-Illinois game. It’s the second-oldest trophy in the Big Ten, behind the Little Brown Jug between Michigan and Minnesota. That trophy dates back to 1909.
9
Since Illinois beat No. 1 Ohio State in 2007 at The Shoe, the Buckeyes have won nine straight games against the Fighting Illini.
