GAME NOTES: The 10th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes find themselves back in a first-place tie in the Big Ten standings, and they need a victory in Saturday's road clash with Illinois to remain in contention for the league title.

Ohio State bounced back strong from a loss to Penn State by knocking off Northwestern last weekend by a 45-10 final. The only other loss this season came against USC, another one of the nation's truly elite teams. At 8-2, the Buckeyes are guaranteed to get a solid bowl bid, but the program undoubtedly has its sights set on a BCS bid.

Illinois entered the season with great expectations, but the team is a disappointing 5-5 overall and still needs one more victory just to achieve bowl eligibility. The Illini haven't won back-to-back games since the early part of September, and they are fresh off a 23-17 loss to non-conference foe Western Michigan. After this weekend's tilt, the lone regular season game remaining on the schedule will take place on the road against Northwestern on November 22nd.

Although Ohio State owns a commanding 60-30-4 series lead over Illinois, the Illini recorded a 28-21 victory in Columbus last season.

Ohio State is averaging 26.6 ppg this season to go along with 330.6 total ypg. The offense is led by true freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 1,076 yards and nine touchdowns against three interceptions. The versatile Pryor has rushed for 450 yards and five touchdowns as well. The ground attack is paced by Chris "Beanie" Wells, who has rushed for 814 yards and six touchdowns in the seven games that he has played. Brian Robiskie paces the receivers with 33 catches for 356 yards and seven scores.

Against Northwestern last weekend, the Buckeyes racked up 441 yards of total offense. Pryor completed 9-of-14 passes for 197 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Wells rushed for 140 yards and two scores, and Robiskie reached the end zone on two of his three catches. "We didn't run the ball well two weeks ago so we definitely had to come out and establish our run," said Wells after the contest. "Overall, our offense did a pretty good job."

Defensively, Ohio State has been outstanding as expected, as opponents are only posting 13.0 ppg and 269.8 total ypg. Opposing offenses have managed 13 touchdowns in 10 games against the Buckeyes, who are surrendering only 3.5 yards per rushing attempt and 8.9 yards per pass completion. With 24 takeaways, it is certainly fair to say that OSU has been opportunistic. James Laurinaitis leads the defense with 101 tackles, 40 more than his closest teammate. Marcus Freeman has 6.5 TFLs to his credit, including 3.5 sacks.

The Buckeyes limited Northwestern to 10 points and 294 total yards last weekend. OSU was tremendous against the run, holding the Wildcats to 2.7 yards per carry. Clearly, three takeaways helped the cause. "They had a good plan with their quarterback running the ball," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. "That was tough duty, but the defense kept playing and playing."

Illinois is a formidable offensive team that averages 31.4 ppg and 447.6 total ypg. The Illini have 36 offensive touchdowns thus far, and they can get the job done both on the ground and through the air. Juice Williams, the team's quarterback, is a versatile threat who has passed for 2,769 yards and 20 touchdowns. On a down note, Williams has been intercepted 14 times. As a runner, he has posted a team-high 577 yards and five touchdowns. Jason Ford has seven rushing touchdowns to his credit and can be counted on to move the pile in short-yardage situations. Arrelious Benn is clearly the best receiver on the team, as he has 60 grabs for 947 yards and three touchdowns.

Against Western Michigan last weekend, Benn logged seven catches for 111 yards. Williams finished with 328 passing yards and one touchdown, but he only completed 20-of-45 passes and was intercepted twice. The signal caller also ran for 68 yards on 12 carries in defeat.

Opponents are scoring 26.2 ppg against Illinois, which is yielding 351.1 total ypg. The Illini have actually been a bit better against the run than the pass, as opponents have 15 touchdowns through the air with only five interceptions and an average of over 12 yards per completion. Illinois has been able to generate a tremendous pass rush, and the result has been 32 sacks and countless hurries. Senior linebacker Brit Miler is a strong candidate for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. He has made 110 tackles, 41 more than his closest teammate, including 15.5 TFLs and six sacks. Miller has forced three fumbles and even registered an interception.

Illinois limited Western Michigan to 64 rushing yards last weekend, but the Broncos were able to pass for 301 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Expect Ohio State to get redemption for the loss to Illinois a year ago. The Buckeyes are clearly the better team in this matchup, and don't be surprised to see Pryor outplay the more experienced Williams.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 27, Illinois 13