Ohio State 42-19 Illinois (Sep 26, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Illinois · Ohio State

Illinois2-219

No. 7 Ohio State3-142Final

Sat, Sep 26 · Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio · Crowd 101,452

No. 7 Ohio State beat Illinois 42-19.

We had Ohio State favored. It won.

Next: Illinois lost to Purdue 24-17, Sat Oct 3

Next: Ohio State beat Iowa 31-14, Sat Oct 3

Top comment in the game thread

Paid for by the US Government. Direct violation of the Hatch Act.

Q3 6:59 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Sep 26

How it swung

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Ohio State a 96% chance, and the closing betting line (Ohio State was a 25.5-point favorite) put it at 98%.

Ohio State led by 7 after the first quarter and by 18 at the half.

Favored the whole way: Ohio State never fell below 96%.

Illinois never had better than a 3% chance.

FinalOhio State 42-19 IllinoisOhio State wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

No single play moved the chance by 20 points.

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q1 3:39A wide receiver made an impressive move on a defensive back.Oh god, that move on the DB. That is unfair.r/CFB game thread
Q1 1:04Illinois scores on Anderson run as Ohio State fans criticize their defenseTake Matt’s pencil away until the defense gets a turnover.r/CFB game threadWow that play fooled the buckeyes there Our defense was on the entire left side of the field lolr/CFB game thread
Q2 12:43Sayin scrambles for first down as fans praise his runningJulian “Lamar Jackson” Sayinr/CFB game thread
Q2 7:54Fans praise replay transparency as Smith scores on Sayin passJeremiah Smith should be the #1 pick. Even if that team needs a QB. That's how good he is.r/CFB game threadIf you’re a GM and you pass on Jeremiah Smith you should be fired immediatelyr/CFB game thread
Q3 6:59Quoted at the top of the page.Corruption. Using tax payer dollars for commercials like that is illegal.r/CFB game thread

Ohio State’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Ohio State -25.5), at 97% for Ohio State (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Ohio State or Illinois flair (2,586 and 566); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Ohio State’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Ohio State scored on 6 of its 9 drives; Illinois on 4 of its 9.

Ohio State’s drives are teal, Illinois’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

“Crazy how Michigan is such a joke that they have caused us to get some actual transparency”

A fan of another team

How fans reacted

Steady

The loudest stretch came in the second quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was steady; the crowd was busy.

Two crowds, one game

The words each side’s fans used far more than the other side, from the game thread.

Illinois fans

tackle“The thing is we'd suck with any defensive scheme right now. Unless there's some magic defensive scheme that works when your team can't tackle”

score“I know the score is a blowout, but I actually don't feel that bad about how we've played.”

honestly“Honestly, if we can play like we have since OSU went up 14-0 for the rest of the year we can win some games.”

basketball“This’ll be a basketball score for Ohio State by the end of the game Like 63-21 or something”

Both sets of fans kept coming back to: ball, now, need, getting.

What it cost

Ohio State’s chance to make the playoff rose from 69% to 71%.

Make the playoff

Illinois · lost0% → 0%

Ohio State · won69% → ▲71%

Win the conference

Illinois · lost0% → 0%

Ohio State · won35% → ▲36%

Before the game (September 25, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

Ohio State 42, Illinois 19

Illinois covered +25.5 by 2.5. The total, 61, went over 53.5.

Team totals	Illinois	Ohio State
Total yards	462	518
Passing	21 of 38, 263 yds	27 of 36, 367 yds
Rushing	33 for 199 yds	32 for 151 yds
First downs	25	27
Third down	6 of 14	8 of 12
Fourth down	1 of 3	2 of 2
Turnovers	0	0
Penalties	6 for 52 yds	7 for 59 yds
Time of possession	30:38	29:22

Illinois leaders

Passing Katin Houser 21 of 37, 263 yds, 1 TD
Rushing Aidan Laughery 11 for 113 yds; Ca'Lil Valentine 10 for 47 yds
Receiving Hudson Clement 5 for 87 yds; Collin Dixon 5 for 63 yds

Ohio State leaders

Passing Julian Sayin 27 of 36, 367 yds, 4 TD
Rushing Ja'Kobi Jackson 10 for 56 yds, 1 TD; Bo Jackson 11 for 53 yds
Receiving Jeremiah Smith 12 for 217 yds, 4 TD; Nate Roberts 4 for 36 yds

No rain and calm

66° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 10 mph from the north-northeast, mostly along the field, gusts to 21

September game-day temperatures at Ohio Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

First quarter, 15:00 left12:11 p.m.

Illinois 0, Ohio State 0 · Ohio State 97% to win

no rain · wind 10 mph from the north, mostly along the field, gusts to 20 · 67°

Sayin 9-yd pass to Jackson

Where this weather comes from

Measured at Columbus/st Univ airport, 6.3 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

Illinois · 2-1

Rated 70th in our preseason ratings, 71st now.

2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

W 48-10 vs Southern Illinois #154 of 668

won by 38 as a 34.5-point favorite

L 27-31 vs DukeTop 25 #67 of 668

lost by 4 as a 6-point favorite

W 42-23 vs UAB #55 of 668

won by 19 as a 25.5-point favorite

Last three games

Ohio State · 2-1

Rated 4th in our preseason ratings, 1st now.

2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

W 59-3 vs Kent State #120 of 668

won by 56 as a 52.5-point favorite

L 23-24 @ TexasTop 25 #4 of 668

lost by 1 as a 2.5-point underdog

W 56-3 vs Ball State #144 of 668

won by 53 as a 50.5-point favorite

Week by week

Ohio State

Wk 1Wvs Ball State56-3
Wk 2Lat Texas23-24
Wk 3Wvs Kent State59-3

Illinois

Wk 1Wvs UAB42-23
Wk 2Lvs Duke27-31
Wk 3Wvs Southern Illinois48-10

Power rating by week

Ohio State is rated 14.5 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Ohio State’s passing EPA against Illinois, 87 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Ohio State’s EPA/play against Illinois’s defense
Ohio State offense, 87th percentile · Illinois defense, 5th
Ohio State’s passing EPA against Illinois’s defense
Ohio State offense, 92nd percentile · Illinois defense, 5th
Ohio State’s explosive plays against Illinois’s defense
Ohio State offense, 75th percentile · Illinois defense, 35th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

IllinoisOhio State

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Ohio State leads the series 70-30-4

104 meetings since 1902 · Ohio State has won the last 10

2025Ohio State 34-16
2017Ohio State 52-14
2015Ohio State 28-3
2014Ohio State 55-14
2013Ohio State 60-35

Each line is Ohio State’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Ohio State fans are feeling it less than most fanbases this week (23rd among FBS fanbases), and the other side is no happier.

Ohio State favored by 25.5 · Total 53.5

How games like this usually go

Ohio State by 25.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.

The market

The spread moved 2 points toward Illinois.

The total fell 1 point.

The books’ cut: 3.4%, the margin built into the odds

Weather at kickoff

Mild and dry. Feels like 69° at kickoff.

Illinois at Ohio State · Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 · Ohio Stadium, Columbus

69°feels like at kickoff
Dryno rain at kickoff
100weather score, Ideal

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Kickoff times that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game is ringed. At Ohio Stadium that day, a 2 pm, 3:30 pm or 7 pm kickoff would have scored 98, against 100 at noon.

noon: 100, Ideal (this game)
12:45 pm: 99, Comfortable
2 pm: 98, Comfortable
3:30 pm: 98, Comfortable
4 pm: 99, Comfortable
5 pm: 99, Comfortable
6 pm: 99, Comfortable
7 pm: 98, Comfortable

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

Ohio State is worth +6.3 points (±3.7) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 86th percentile.

95% at home, 86% on the road against FBS opponents (53-3 home, 32-5 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +1.6 at home vs. away over 95 games — inside the ±5.9 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 276 miles to get here.

Where next

Conference standings

Place in the conference, then conference record.

Ohio State11th0-0
Illinois5th0-0

Full Big Ten standings

No. 7 Ohio State beats Illinois 42-19