GAME NOTES: The nation's top-ranked team, Ohio State, carries its perfect record and national title hopes into this weekend's Big Ten home clash with the Illinois Fighting Illini. Illinois is 3-14 all-time against the top-ranked opponents. The Illini are fresh off a 44-17 victory over Minnesota, marking their seventh victory of this season. The seven wins are the most for the program since the 2001 Big Ten championship team won 10 games. Ohio State has set a Big Ten record with 20 conference wins in a row and has set a school record with 28 consecutive regular season victories. The Buckeyes are 10-0 this season, and if they are able to win this weekend, only a road clash with Michigan remains on the schedule. Considering the fact that many standout performers were lost from last season's team that reached the title game, it is amazing that OSU is back in position to play for a championship again. Ohio State owns a 60-29-4 series lead over Illinois, including a 17-10 win over a the Illini last season in a game that was much closer than expected.

Illinois star tailback Rashard Mendenhall has six 100-yard games this season, tying the school record. The Illini lead the Big Ten in rushing and rank sixth nationally with an average of 261.3 ypg on the ground. The team as a whole is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, a tremendous figure that ranks third behind only West Virginia and Arkansas. Mendenhall is having a Heisman-caliber season and deserves much more attention than he has received. Through 10 games, he has rushed for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 6.8 ypc. He has also caught 25 passes out of the backfield and added two more touchdowns. Quarterback Isiah Williams has rushed for 568 yards and five scores, and he has thrown for 1,138 yards and eight touchdowns. Keep an eye on Arrelious Benn, as he is clearly the team's top receiver. Mendenhall ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota last weekend, and Williams ran for 133 yards and a score while passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Opponents are only scoring 19.1 ppg against Illinois, which has been every bit as good defensively as it has been on offense. Stopping the run has been an area of strength for the Illini, as they are yielding only 112.5 ypg on 3.1 yards per rushing attempt. In fact, of the 19 touchdowns that opposing offenses have scored against Illinois, only four have been rushing scores. There is room for improvement in the pass defense, as some big plays have been surrendered. With 19 takeaways and 34 sacks, Illinois has made a high number of impact plays. J Leman leads the Illini with 102 total tackles, while Will Davis is tops with 7.5 sacks. Four sacks and one interception helped the Illini keep the Minnesota offense in check last weekend. Illinois was strong against the run once again.

Last season, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith led his team to the national title game and won a Heisman Trophy along the way. The biggest question in the offseason for the Buckeyes concerned the quarterback position, and when Todd Boeckman was named the starter, fans of the program naturally expected a bit of a drop off. That has not been the case, as Boeckman has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 1,965 yards and 23 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. Brian Robiskie leads the way in receiving with 44 catches for 833 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Brian Hartline has made 41 grabs for 524 yards and five scores. Those two players have admirably replaced departed starts Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, both of whom were first round draft picks. As for the ground attack, Chris Wells has taken over the vacancy created by Antonio Pittman's defection to the NFL. Wells has rushed for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging a gaudy 6.0 ypc. In last weekend's 38-17 win over Wisconsin, Wells ran for 169 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. As for Boeckman, he efficiently completed 17-of-28 passes for 166 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Ohio State leads the nation in scoring defense and total defense, as the club is surrendering only 9.7 ppg and 221.2 total ypg. Running the ball against Ohio State has been nearly impossible, as the club is surrendering 65.0 ypg and 2.2 ypc. Of the seven touchdowns the defense has allowed, only two have come on the ground. A total of 37 sacks have been registered by the Buckeyes, including 10 by Vernon Gholston. James Laurinaitis has been a force at linebacker as expected, as he has made 85 total tackles, including five sacks. He also has a pair of interceptions to his credit. Wisconsin has a storied tradition of running the football with great success, so the fact that Ohio State was able to limit the Badgers to 12 rushing yards on 37 attempts last week is staggering. Sure, that total was greatly influenced by 10 sacks totaling 73 yards in losses, but the run defense was still extremely solid.

Ohio State has to be extremely careful not to look past Illinois with Michigan on the horizon. If this were a road game, the Illini might be able to score an upset, but that won't happen in Columbus.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 27, Illinois 14