The Series

This will be the 94th game between these two teams, with OSU leading 60-29-4. The Buckeyes lead 26-17-4 in Columbus. The series ran uninterrupted from 1914 until 2003, when the teams did not play for two years due to the Big Ten rotating schedule. Illinois's last victory was in 2001. OSU won a close one last year, 17-10 at Illinois. Many accused the #1 Buckeyes of looking ahead last year to the showdown two weeks later with Michigan. OSU had to recover an onside kick and run out the clock to secure the win last year.




Illibuck
In the Big Ten there are a lot of trophy games, but OSU only has one, and that is the game with Illinois. Starting in 1925 these two schools passed a real turtle, named Illibuck, to the winner of the game. However in 1927 the turtle died and was replaced by a wooden replica. At halftime of the game, members of two junior honorary societies, Bucket and Dipper of Ohio State and Atius-Sachem of Illinois meet to pass the the trophy to the winner of the game from the previous year.