The Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 2-1 this season after beating Kent State 59-3 last Saturday, Sept. 19, at Ohio Stadium.

Coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will remain in Columbus and play their first Big Ten Conference game against coach Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini for Week 4.

Matchup details

Who: Illinois Fighting Illini at Ohio State Buckeyes. Kickoff: Noon. Broadcast: FOX.

B1G matchup in The ‘Shoe 🌰 pic.twitter.com/zX4lVp4iVe

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 21, 2026

Pregame

Essential resources

Illinois game notes: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/2026/9/21/20260926_Ohio_State.pdf?timestamp=20260921052627

Ohio State game notes: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/2026/9/21/4_Illinois.pdf?timestamp=20260921013638

Big Ten Conference weekly release:

Benge Notes