Ohio State vs. Illinois Prediction & Odds: October 2nd 2010

BetUS.com’s analysis of NCAA football betting action continues with a Week 4 fight this Saturday, as we make our college football picks in the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini.
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Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Game Date/Time: Saturday, October 2nd, 12:00 ET
Game Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
TV/Radio Broadcast: Big Ten Network, Sirius

NCAA Football Odds: Ohio State Buckeyes (-16.5) -110 vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (+16.5) -110: Over/Under 50.5

The Buckeyes are going to be playing their first road game of the season, which could hurt them in the quest to move to 5-0 SU, 5-0 ATS, and 5-0 for ‘overs’ on the year. This has been one of the most consistent teams for college football picks thanks to a stifling defense which has allowed just four offensive TDs on the season and the play of a potential Heisman Trophy winner.

Terrelle Pryor continues to do it all for the Buckeyes. He still leads the team in both rushing and passing and doesn’t look to be giving up the reins to either title any time in the near future. Last week, he went 21-of-26 and threw four scores in a nearly perfect game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles, which only further cemented him as a mortal lock as a Heisman finalist.

On the other side of the ball though, the Illini are going to make for difficult college football picks as well. It’s tough backing a true freshman at quarterback in this situation. Nathan Scheelhaase has never seen this type of athleticism on defense in his career, and though he has gone up against some quality foes already, we can’t help but think that he is going to be crippled by this ‘D’.

Mikel LeShoure is averaging almost 140 yards per game on the ground this year, and he is going to be the safety valve for Scheelhaase to use this entire game. If the Illini are smart and want to make winners out of their college football picks, they’ll be content to not give up the big plays and turn the ball over. If they do, this will be one very long game.

NCAA Football Insider Tip: For successful college football picks, remember the fact that the Buckeyes are 9-1 ATS in their L/10 against teams with a winning road record and 21-5 ATS in their L/26 away from the Horseshoe.

This is a tough number for a team to beat in its first road game, but we tend to think that the Buckeyes are up to the task. Ohio State just has superior athletes on the field, and we wonder whether Scheelhaase will fold up under pressure once the Illini fall behind.

Ohio State is the subject of our college football picks on Saturday.

My NCAA Football Predictions: Ohio State Buckeyes (-16.5) -110

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1. Eastern Michigan vs. Ohio State Prediction & Odds: September 25th 2010
2. Illinois vs. Michigan Betting Odds, Pick & Trends: February 23rd 2010
3. Ohio State vs. Michigan State Odds, Pick & ATS Trends: ebruary 21st 2010