Following a double-overtime victory in a hostile environment over Penn State, the Buckeyes take on conference cupcake Illinois Saturday night in the Shoe ahead of the showdown with Michigan State in East Lansing.
Ohio State enters as a 28-point favorite over the 4-4 Fighting Illini despite their 28-24 upset win over Minnesota last Saturday. A major factor in the huge point spread is the Illini's rushing defense. Through four B1G contests, Illinois finds itself last in the conference with opponents averaging a staggering 344.8 rush yards per game on a hefty 6.8 yards per carry. With the weather expected to be cold and windy at kickoff, it's highly likely the Buckeyes will ride the league's 2nd-best rushing attack (270.7 ypg) to victory.
With those factoids as your backdrop, this week's contest winner will be the entrant who accurately predicts Ohio State's rushing yardage total for the game. If no entrant nails the yardage exactly, we'll take the person closest to the final tally while employing a Price Is Right tie-breaker (person closest without going over).
Your prize this week is a cap of your choice from 11W Dry Goods. At present, we're fully stocked so you'll have your choice of a gray mesh trucker or either a scarlet or gray snapback.
As always, leave your prediction in the comments and be mindful of the small print:
- Must be 18 years-old or older.
- One entry/comment per person.
- Duplicate predictions are ineligible – first come, first serve.
- Deadline for entries is kickoff.
- Any comment edited after kickoff will be disqualified, regardless of the edit.
- Ohio State must emerge victorious because #pride.
