Buckeye Opponent Preview: Week Four versus Illinois Fighting Illini
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Ohio State's gauntlet of a schedule continues in week four of the 2025 schedule as they open their Big Ten schedule with a home tilt against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The Buckeyes surrounded their game against the Texas Longhorns with two MAC opponents, so that will set Ohio State up with either a 2-1 record or a 3-0 record as the No. 1 team in the country.
Regardless of how the first three games go, this matchup will be an awesome start to the Buckeyes' Big Ten schedule as the Illini are going to be a very formidable opponent for Ohio State.
According to CBS Sports, the Fighting Illini enter next year as the No. 28th overall team in the country, one spot behind Houston and one ahead of the Arizona Wildcats.
Last season, Illinois got off to a scorching-hot start and was all the way up to the No. 9 team in the country. Then, they got a dose of reality against the Indiana Hoosiers as they came to town in Week Four and imposed their will on Illinois, beating them 63-10. While that game was just as much about Indiana proving they were here to stay, it was also about Illinois proving that their start was inflated and they had a lot of work to do.
The Buckeyes got a piece of the Illini last year in Week Seven with a trip West to Champaign. It was all Buckeyes on that mid-October day, and they handily beat up on Illinois 34-16 on their march through the regular season.
Now, as we turn the corner to this year's matchup, there is going to be a lot on the line in Week Four. Ohio State will either be trying to stay undefeated or trying to fall to .500. Either way, they will be tense and ready to begin conference play.
Last year, every week was about how good Illinois could rush the football. In games in which they had 50 or more rushing yards, they were 9-1. On the other hand, they were 0-3 in the games that they did not, and that is a very Brett Bielema-style attack.
The good news for the Illini is that they are returning a lot of the key pieces from that potent rushing attack last year. Running backs Ca'Lil Valentine, Aidan Laughery, and tight end (yes, tight end) were the three-headed attack that handled a lot of the rushing duties.
Up front, the interior is going to be the strength of this team as guards Brandon Henderson and Brandon Hansen return to lead the charge. Then, center Jake Renfro transfers over from Wisconsin to fill a void.
They will be led by senior signal-caller Katin Houser, who is a fascinating piece of the puzzle. He transferred in after two seasons at East Carolina, where last year he threw for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns on a solid 65 percent.
On defense, there was a major change at the top. Bielema went on and hired Bobby Hauck, the old legendary head coach from Montana to correct what's going on. The defense will be going through a rebuild.
Safety Matthew Bailey is the star of the show on defense. He measures in at 6-2, 225 pounds and is coming off 160 total tackles in his last two seasons combined.
Up front, they have a lot to replace and will rely on several small school transfers to get the job done. Darrell Parker comes from Jacksonville State as a defensive tackle, as well as Deon Jones from City College of San Francisco
The Illinois defense will struggle at times and the Buckeyes will look to exploit it.
Regardless of who is on the field, Illinois is always a tough team and will always be a tough out. This will be a major matchup to begin Ohio State's Big Ten play and will set the tone for the rest of the season.
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