Week 11: Illinois at Ohio State

This is a very dangerous game for the Ohio State Buckeyes. A month ago, this game would not have been considered a trap game, but after the Illini lost to Iowa and Michigan they lost a little bit of their Cinderella sparkle. That said, they are still as dangerous as ever, and the Buckeye defense will be tested by a quick and aggressive offense that is starting to find balance entering the final few games of the season.

The game also presents Ron Zook’s young squad with a chance to measure up against the best.

"This weekend we've got an opportunity to play an awfully good football team and a team that is No. 1 in the nation, rightfully so … if you want to see how good you are then you have to compete against the best and obviously they are the best team in college football,” said Zook.

His quarterback, Juice Williams, had a marvelous day last week against Minnesota (207 passing yards, 133 rushing yards). That versatility makes him the ‘x’ factor against Ohio State. If the Buckeyes choose to take away running back Rashard Mendenhall, their track record this season suggests they’ll be able to. But no defense can take away a shifty dual-weapon like Williams, and if he can somehow put together a Grade A performance, he could present the same issues for Ohio State that Texas A&M’s Reggie McNeal did several seasons ago in an upset win over Oklahoma.

Last year’s game should encourage this Illini team. Trailing 17-0 entering the final quarter, Illinois rallied to score 10 points to close the gap.

Still, all of this is a little too far from reality. We are, after all, talking about the Ohio State Buckeyes, the nation’s No. 1 team.

The Ohio State offense only continues to play better each week. Todd Boeckman could end up being named the Big Ten’s first-team quarterback, and running back Chris Wells seems to be at his best in the biggest of games. More important than the maturing offense or the conference’s most outstanding defense is the fact that Ohio State has proven it can handle adversity. Last week it trailed Wisconsin in the second half then exploded for three touchdowns in less than eight minutes. At any point the Buckeye bomb can go off, and Illinois can only hope to somehow discharge it for 60 minutes on Saturday afternoon.

Not likely.

Ohio State by 11