Illinois vs. Ohio State betting preview: Odds, picks, predictions for Week 4 college football game — SkimNews
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- Illinois (1-1) visits Ohio State (1-1) at noon ET Saturday in Columbus, coming off a 48-10 win over Southern Illinois while Ohio State is coming off a 59-3 rout of Kent State
- SportsLine's projection model simulated the game 10,000 times and graded Under 53.5 points as an 'A' play, hitting in 57.9% of simulations despite Ohio State's explosive offense
- The model is 22-19 on top-rated college football picks this season and was upgraded for 2026 to better account for transfer portal movement, per SportsLine
- Katin Houser, Illinois' East Carolina transfer quarterback, has thrown for 8 touchdowns with just 2 interceptions this season, with receiver Collin Dixon hauling in 7 of those 8 passing scores
- Ohio State forced three turnovers in a 34-16 road win at Illinois last season, and Jeremiah Smith leads the Buckeyes' receiving corps while Julian Sayin is back at quarterback
- Beyond the total, the SportsLine model identified value on Illinois as both an against-the-spread and money line pick against the spread-favorite Buckeyes
- DraftKings is offering $150 in bonus bets on a $5 wager for the game, while FanDuel is running a $250 bonus-bet promo for bettors who wager $5+ on five consecutive days
Why it matters: Bettors using the SportsLine model get a quantified edge: Under 53.5 lands at 57.9% simulation frequency with an A grade, while the model's separate flag on Illinois' money line offers a high-payout path against an Ohio State squad that collapsed in the fourth quarter against Texas and still has questions at receiver beyond Smith.
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