Ohio State Football: Buckeye Faithful Must Not Overrate Win vs. Illinois

Ohio State appeared to get their season headed back in the right direction today with a win over Illinois, at Illinois.

The Fighting Illini were previously undefeated but hadn't been especially dominant since beating Arizona State on September 17.

Ohio State still had some glaring issues in this game. The most notable one was that they completed all of one pass. I guess the positive is that it was a touchdown pass, so they made it count.

The Buckeyes now have two weeks to prepare for their next opponent, which is a good thing. They will host the Wisconsin Badgers, who are currently undefeated and haven't had a team play within 30 points of them yet this year.

Don't get me wrong, there is reason to be happy in Columbus. For one, while it wasn't gorgeous, a win is a win. When you beat an undefeated conference rival, you should definitely walk with your head held high.

Also, the Ohio State players who were suspended to start the season are now back in the lineup and are theoretically getting into better game shape with every passing week. So, the cupboard isn't bare in Columbus, even though they aren't enjoying an especially successful season.

But Wisconsin is third in the country in both points scored and points allowed. Even in front of what promises to be a raucous home crowd, completing one pass will simply not get the job done. As a matter of fact, if that happens again, we can just add Ohio State to the list of teams to lose by 30 or more points to Wisconsin.

Even though I have been less than impressed with Illinois this season, a win over an undefeated team is nothing to sneeze at, especially this late in the year. If you go on the road, complete one pass, and still beat an undefeated team by 10 points, you are doing something right.

But this win means nothing more than winning one game. The best test for Ohio State will come on October 29 when they host Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes can lose that game and still be far more impressive than they were in today's win against Illinois.