Illinois vs. Ohio State
Illinois and Ohio State first met in 1902 and have played 105 times; officially, Ohio State leads 70–30–4; as played, 71–30–4. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Ohio State 10–0, and Ohio State has won the last 11. The winner takes home the Illibuck, played for since about 1926. Ohio State has held it since the 2008 game. The NCAA vacated Ohio State’s win (2010); it doesn’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. Share
2028 at Illinois. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).
- Official series
- Ohio State leads 70–30–4
- Illinois wins on file
- 30
- Ohio State wins on file
- 71
- Ties
- 4
- First meeting
- 1902
- Longest streak
- 15 Ohio State
- Current streak
- 11 Ohio State
- Last 10 meetings
- Ohio State 10–0
- Most recent
- 2026
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1–0–1 | ||||||||||
| 1910s | 3–2–1 | ||||||||||
| 1920s | 7–3 | ||||||||||
| 1930s | 1–9 | ||||||||||
| 1940s | 2–8 | ||||||||||
| 1950s | 3–6–1 | ||||||||||
| 1960s | 2–7–1 | ||||||||||
| 1970s | 0–10 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 4–6 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 5–5 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 2–6 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 0–7 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 0–2 |
- Both ranked
- 10 meetings: Illinois 6, Ohio State 4; 3 both in the top 10
- Average margin
- 16.9 points; 36 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Illinois
- 12–38 Illinois’s record at home
- At Ohio State
- 31–18–4 Ohio State’s record at home
- Neutral sites
- 0–2 Illinois first
- Shutouts
- 27
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Illibuck
- Played for since
- about 1926
- Held by
- Ohio State since the 2008 game
- Games for it on file
- 91 Ohio State 67, Illinois 22, 2 tied
Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting since about 1926 (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). The rivalry’s article counts the games for it: Ohio State leads, 66–23–2. From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Illibuck.
Games that tell the story
- Illinois’s biggest win1904: Illinois 46, Ohio State 0by 46 points
- Ohio State’s biggest win1996: Ohio State 48, Illinois 0by 48 points
- Upset2007: Illinois 28, Ohio State 21Illinois had a 12% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1988: Illinois 31, Ohio State 12Illinois had a 20% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1999: Illinois 46, Ohio State 20Illinois had a 21% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Ranked showdown1964: Ohio State 26, Illinois 0No. 4 Ohio State at No. 2 Illinois
- Ranked showdown1960: Ohio State 34, Illinois 7No. 5 Ohio State at No. 4 Illinois
- Ranked showdown1950: Illinois 14, Ohio State 7No. 1 Ohio State at No. 8 Illinois
Coach against coach
| Years | Illinois | Series | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914–1928 | Robert Zuppke | 9–5–1 | John Wilce |
| 1929–1933 | Robert Zuppke | 1–4 | Sam Willaman |
| 1934–1940 | Robert Zuppke | 1–6 | Francis Schmidt |
| 1947–1950 | Ray Eliot | 2–2 | Wesley Fesler |
| 1951–1959 | Ray Eliot | 2–6–1 | Woody Hayes |
| 1960–1966 | Pete Elliott | 1–5–1 | Woody Hayes |
| 1967–1970 | James Valek | 1–3 | Woody Hayes |
| 1971–1976 | Bob Blackman | 0–6 | Woody Hayes |
| 1980–1987 | Mike White | 2–6 | Earle Bruce |
| 1988–1991 | John Mackovic | 4–0 | John Cooper |
| 1992–1996 | Lou Tepper | 2–3 | John Cooper |
| 1997–2000 | Ron Turner | 1–3 | John Cooper |
| 2005–2010 | Ron Zook | 1–5 | Jim Tressel |
| 2012–2014 | Tim Beckman | 0–3 | Urban Meyer |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Illinois’s side (Zuppke 9–5–1 against Wilce). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Carlos Hyde Ohio State | 24 carries, 246 yards, 4 TD | 2013 Rushing | |
| Jeremiah Smith Ohio State | 12 catches, 217 yards, 4 TD | 2026 Receiving |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
From the newspapers
1902 · Akron daily Democrat, Akron, Ohio, Nov 17, 1902
1914 · The daily Gate City, Keokuk, Iowa, Oct 18, 1914
1915 · Omaha daily bee, Nebraska, Oct 18, 1915
1916 · Omaha daily bee, Oct 22, 1916
1917 · Norwich bulletin, Connecticut, Nov 19, 1917
Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.
On television
| 2025 | FOX | 5.9 million viewers |
| 2026 | FOX | 3.7 million viewers |
Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.