Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

This Thursday episode of Buckeye Talk is brought to you solely on behalf of the texter community delivering questions about practically everything under the sun. Among the topics discussed by Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis: How Ohio State can adapt to the new play clock rules in college football; What a successful day looks like in the Buckeyes’ season-opener against Indiana for the offensive line; What the world can learn about OSU, Penn State and Michigan in Week 1 given all three are heavy favorites; Explaining why Ohio State uses its best and most veteran weapons as return specialists; Pressbox go-toes when it comes to food and; A handful of questions that are directed at Andrew as the texters still get to know Buckeye Talk’s newest member. Plus there is a quick journey down memory road to a time when Stephen once thought he was invincible. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State has finally picked its starting quarterback...well, sort of. Ryan Day announced on Tuesday that Kyle McCord will take the first snap in the season opener against Indiana, but that the plan is for Devin Brown to also play meaningful snaps. So of course Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis had to break down what that means and what that could look like. Then Stephen puts Nathan and Andrew in the shoes of Day asking them how they would handle the quarterback situation to start the season given the current known facts. That carries the bulk of the pod, but there's also a short discussion about the defense based on Jim Knowles revealing that there is still one position battle taking place in the secondary. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday pod, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss Ohio State's 2024 recruiting class which heads into the fall with 22 commits and the nation's No. 2 class. Most of the work for the class has been one, but there are still a few targets left on the board that the Buckeyes hope to land by Signing Day.As OSU shifts its main focus to preparing for games every Saturday, Stephen and Andrew discuss those targets while figuring out its chances of finishing with the nation’s top class. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2023 college football season has arrived, and Stephen Means, Nathan Bard and Andrew Gillis are making their playoff picks on the final Mark It Down Monday before the Ohio State Buckeyes open the season on the road against Indiana on Saturday. The conversation starts by discussing which team's odds they'd be willing to take on winning the national title. Then it's on to sharing all four of their playoff teams before picking the winners of those semifinals and picking College Football National Champions. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Bard and Andrew Gillis (with the help of the text subscribers) complete the second part of its two-day process of deciding who Ohio State's best players are coming into the the 2023 season. On Thursday that meant figuring out the top 15 players on offense headlined by Marvin Harrison Jr. being the clear top choice. Now it's time to do the same on defense though this time there was more of a competition for No. 1. In fact, there were a few places where multiple people had claim for why they deserved to be on the list. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thurday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Bard and Andrew Gillis (with the help of the text subscribers) decide who Ohio State's top 15 offensive players are in the only way they know how, by drafting. Marvin Harrison Jr. was the obvious choice for the top spot on this list, but that doesn’t mean he was the unanimous choice. But the most intriguing part of the conversation was figuring out where to put Kyle McCord or Devin Brown on this list given neither has won the starting quarterback job yet. The topic created a spicier conversation than you might have anticipated. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss a wide range of topics: First Stephen poses a question about whether any of Ohio State's freshman wide receivers can carve out a role even though the top four are all back Then a discuss about OSU's reportedly new president hire Ted Carter and what it means in finding Gene Smith's replacement as Athletic Director Finally, the trio talk about Ryan Day's decision to continue calling plays for the 2023 season. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State has to play a football game in less than 14 days and it still doesn't have a starting quarterback, but that doesn't have to be a negative. Kyle McCord and Devin Brown continue to battle to be the Buckeyes' next starter and coming out of their second scrimmage of fall camp Ryan Day still thinks its neck-and-neck, but for all the right reasons. Now there is a chance that he could be coming around on the idea of having the competition leak over into the first few weeks of the season. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss that plus OSU solidifying its offensive line plus a few starters on defense. Then they get into a conversation about the jack and how much — or how little — Jim Knowles plans to use it this year. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s another Mark It Down Monday, and as the 2023 college football season draws near, it’s time for Stephen Means and Nathan Baird to check in with some major predictions. In this episode, it’s the Heisman Trophy and Ohio State's recent history of finalists at quarterback. The last three starting quarterbacks have all made their way to New York at least once, but none have ever left with the trophy. Can that change this season regardless of who wins the quarterback battle between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, or will that streak finally end? They each provide who they think will be the top three for the award, which includes one former OSU quarterback whose career in Columbus was limited to six months and two snaps. Then they reveal who they think will walk away with the award. Thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Larry Johnson has had some impressive rooms during his time as Ohio State's defensive line coach and many of those rooms were headlined by Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa or Chase Young. He's four years removed from having any of those players at his disposal and that's shown up in the room's production. But that may be on the verge of changing in 2023 but not because it has one superstar. Johnson's room is filled with potential stars who all may be ready to finally put it all together. Will that depth mean the return of elite defensive play in Columbus? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, the discussion is all about the tight ends as Keenan Bailey enters his first season as a full-time assistant coach for Ohio State. Bailey pointed out that Cade Stover played 58 snaps per game last season (709 total) which is entirely too much in an offense that relies heavily on its tight ends. Stover returns as the proven commodity, but have a healthy Joe Royer and Gee Scott Jr. proven ready to help the fifth-year senior carry some of the load? Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss that, plus a random conversation about chain pizza restaurants and Stover's growing list of farmer euphemisms. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis are talking offensive line after meeting with seven Ohio State offensive linemen and Buckeyes' offensive line coach Justin Frye on Tuesday. The topics on this episode include: OSU's tackle competitions and whether Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar have already locked up the starting jobs Can Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery set themselves up to be Ohio State's future The ongoing competition between Carson Hinzman and Vic Cutler to be the Buckeyes' next starting center. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day provided an update on how Ohio State's first scrimmage of fall camp went as it continues to prepare for the 2023 season. No one expected him to name a starting quarterback, but there was a thought that he’d potentially reveal who may be starting to separate. Instead, he talked about what would need to happen for him to do so as Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis react. Among the things the trio discussed on this Tuesday Buckeye Talk: Neither Kyle McCord or Devin Brown have started separating n the quarterback battle, but should that be a reason for panic? Day emphatic champions Treveyon Henderson as the former five-star running back enters his third season. Day isn’t ready to name starters yet, but has OSU already found its best five on the offensive line Where are the Buckeyes in the preseason Associated Press Poll and where would the BUckeye Talk crew have voted them? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this almost two-hour-long Buckeye Talk Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis make some interesting stat predictions for Ohio State's 2023 season. Here are the stat topics the trio discussed: Defensive tackles playing the most snaps How many yards per play will the defense give up TreVeyon Henderson's rushing yards Miyan Williams' rushing attempts How many carries will Dallan have Emeka Egbuka's receiving yards Julian Fleming's catches Who will be fourth among receivers in catches Cade Stover receptions The passing yards and touchdowns of the eventual winner of the starting quarterback battle between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown How many yards per play will the offensive average Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the 2023 Ohio State roster by deciding which positions they think are championship caliber. But first, they detail the second full practice they were able to watch, though the 12-period session was much shorter than normal as the Buckeyes prepare for their first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. Then the debate begins breaking down the defensive line, offensive line, linebackers, running backs, wide receivers, cornerbacks, quarterbacks and tight ends. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gene Smith is retiring and it could mean everything to the Ohio State football program. Smith has spent almost 20 years as OSU's Athletic Director becoming one of the more influential people in college sports in the process. He arrived in 2005 while Jim Tressel was head coach, placed Luke Fickell in charge in 2011 following 'Tattoo Gate', brought in Urban Meyer resulting in a national title in 2014 then found Meyer's successor in Ryan Day who's headed the program since 2019. On this Thursday episode, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss Smith's decision and what it means for the future of the Ohio State football program in a national landscape that seems to be changing by the year. Plus an update from Ryan Day as OSU heads into its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss their interviews Tuesday with safeties coach Perry Eliano and several Ohio State safeties. Covered in this episode: Have the Buckeyes already found its top three safeties? Why the 2023 safety room can be better than the 2022 room Can Sonny Styles contend for the title of being OSU’s best defensive player? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis talked with Ohio State's running backs on Saturday as Tony Alford discussed what might be his deepest room since he joined the staff in 2015. It also meant talking with Dallan Hayden, TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Pryor and Miyan Williams. Covered in this episode; How does Evan Pryor fit into the equation after missing all of 2022 with an injury? Has Dallan Hayden already claimed the role of RB3 and can he build on a quality freshman year? Will Chip Trayanum's role extend past special teams? What more can Miyan Williams show us this season? Can TreVeyon Henderson complete the J.K. Dobbins arc with an All-American-level junior season? Then the trio have a short convo on the vibe around Ohio State's recruiting after losing the battle for five-star safety K.J. Bolden to Florida State Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk, and this one deals with Ohio State's season-opener against Indiana on Sept. 2. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis mark down start for the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball in that game. It's a way for the trio to talk about the Ohio State position battles while also putting them on the spot for a prediction: Name the 11 players who will take the first snap on offense and the 11 who will take the first snap on defense. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big Ten might be on the verge of expanding...again.A year after the announcement that USC and UCLA would be leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, reports have now come out that they may be bringing others. In this emergency Friday pod, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the potential additions of Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten. Then three trio discuss the only important topic in this potential 18-team Big Ten: Does it actually matter to the Ohio State football program? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State went through its first day of fall camp practice and the media was able to watch all of it. Right after Jim Knowles and the rest of the linebackers spoke with a much healthier group than they had in the spring. That means there’s a lot to talk about. Among the things Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discussed: Does Kyle McCord already have the edge over Devin Brown in the quarterback battle? What’s the word on the starting offensive line? Jim Knowles names the Buckeyes’ starting cornerbacks There’s a second-year safety who may be ready to breakout A captain on defense that’s changing positions Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The time has come once again on Buckeye Talk to drive the bus as Ohio State prepares for the 2023 season. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird, Andrew Gillis and the texters offer up the Ohio State football players they believe in the most for the 2022 season. But before getting into that, Stephen and Nathan provide updates from Ryan Day and the quarterbacks as they preview fall camp. Then the fun begins as the guys claim their buses and find out if their thought process aligned with the texters Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will open up fall camp on Thursday as it starts preparation for the 2023 season. Jim Knowles enters his second year as defensive coordinator and brings back with him a ton of experience why also adding a few key pieces in the transfer portal. Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss OSU’s defense and some things they’re interested to find out. As part of the discussion: Will C.J. Hicks push for time with the starting linebackers? How will the defensive line rotation play out? Will Sonny Styles claim a starting safety role and who else will start alongside Lathan Ransom? Is this the most depth Ohio State’s had at cornerback in the Ryan Day era? Will the Jack finally make its proper debut thanks to a healthy Mitchell Melton? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will open up fall camp on Thursday as it starts preparation for the 2023 season. While quarterback is the most interesting topic for the Buckeyes on offense as they replace C.J. Stroud, it’s not the other player where there are questions. Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss OSU’s offense and some things they’re interested to find out about. As part of the discussion: Things start with a discussion about what’s happening on the recruiting trail where the Buckeyes spent the past five days getting both good and bad news across multiple classes. What will the offensive line look like on Day 1 and how will it evolve over the next month? Cade Stover is the starting tight end. But in a room with six scholarship players is there legitimate depth behind him? Brian Hartline returns all three starting wide receivers while a battle carries on behind them. Can anyone start making headway to be a starter in 2024? With five talented options, how will Tony Alford handle things in the running back room? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another Mark it Down Monday as Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss who they think will be the next Ohio State players to earn trees in Buckeye Grove as first-team All-Americans. As part of the discuss the three talk: Can Marvin Harrison Jr. repeat as a unanimous selection and if so, can another wide receiver potentially join him in Buckeye Grove? Will a defensive player earn the honor after no having a single player do so for the past three seasons? OSU has constantly had elite quarterback play, but had one earn a tree since 2006. Does that drought end in 2023? How many first-team All-Americans will Ohio State have and which side of the ball will have more? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis wrap up the 2023 Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis while also answering a few questions from our texters Here’s what’s discussed: Can Luke Montgomery push for a significant role on the offensive line as a true freshman? And the overall status of the offensive line. Is Sonny Styles ready to claim a starting spot? Will Kenyatta build on a quality spring on his way to carving out a role on the defensive line? And the overall status of the defensive line. How will Ohio State handle a deep running back room? What will be the most ‘exciting’ and ‘boring’ games on the Buckeyes’ schedule? Which player and/or position group will surprise people this season? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis are reporting from the second day of Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. Here’s what’s discussed: How would the Big Ten refs have handled Marvin Harrison Jr.’s non-targeting call in the Sugar Bowl? Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines speak as the reigning Big Ten champion while Luke Fickell makes his official media day debut as Wisconsin’s head coach Can Fickell make the Badgers a bigger threat to Ohio State's title hopes than the Wolverines? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis are reporting from Big Ten media days in Indianapolis. Here’s what’s discussed: What’s the status of the quarterback battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord? Marvin Harrison Jr., Cade Stover and J.T. Tuimoloau serve as team representatives. What did each have to say about the upcoming season? Ryan Day isn’t against moving the Ohio State-Michigan game once the 12-team playoff arrives. Does he have a point? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again the Big Ten refuses to put out actual preseason awards or season predictions. So for the 13th straight year, Cleveland.com takes on the responsibility with the annual Preseason Big Ten Poll. With that poll released, here’s what Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and newcomer Andrew Gillis discuss: This is a poll that Ohio State has often dominated as the standard of the conference, but is that starting to change? Marvin Harrison Jr. is clearly the Big Ten’s best offensive player, but is he best positioned to win the postseason award that goes along with the status? Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in a season loaded with options? Which team has the toughest road environment? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our first podcast with the new crew of Nathan, Stephen and Andrew Gillis. We start things off with a discussion of Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa's commitment to Notre Dame. He had been the first player Ohio State offered in the 2024 class, and until recently, he was considered a Buckeye lean. What does his decision mean for what OSU will do at linebacker now with two commitments already at the position? Also, what does his commitment mean in the ongoing recruiting battle with Notre Dame? Then we get into our Buckeye Talk Subtext subscriber questions about the future of our podcast. Among the topics discussed: • What, if anything, will change? • Will the pods be shorter now? • Who will do impressions of players and coaches around the country? • What are Andrew's hot food takes? • Is Andrew any good at picking games? • Our reaction to OSU selling tickets to practices for NIL income • What do we think of the alternate uniforms for the Michigan State game? That and more as the season draws closer to its start and we embark on a new beginning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, a torch is passed. This is the final Buckeye Talk episode for Doug Lesmerises as a cleveland.com employee (maybe he'll be allowed back as a guest one day) and the first Buckeye Talk for a new addition to cleveland.com's coverage of Ohio State and this podcast. How this ep goes down: (0:30) Thoughts about covering Ohio State (8:12) Introduction of the newest member of Buckeye Talk (you must listen to meet him!) (15:29) What Joe Burrow is like in the NFL (22:55) Balancing OSU coverage (25:31) What will AI mean for the future of sports coverage? (This is the robot part) (29:53) The role of Buckeye Talk in cleveland.com's OSU coverage (49:12) The future of Buckeye Talk (1:12:44) A final goodbye Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national title this season? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird dive into that question. The idea isn't necessarily to answer it, though there are some playoff and national title picks at the end of the pod. But the idea is to run through the real hurdles that Ohio State would have to overcome to win it all. And are those hurdles inside the program or outside it? (0:30) First comes a look at Ohio State from 2019 to 2022 and what it was that kept the Buckeyes from winning it all those seasons (23:46) Then it's a look into this year, with text subscribers chiming in about the chances of a title compared to last season (1:06:07) Then Doug runs through recent history and what obstacles stopped the Buckeyes when they didn't win titles between 2005 and 2018 (1:13:20) Finally, it's time for some picks about this season. This is Doug's penultimate Buckeye Talk, which is why it was time to talk national title right now. Thanks as always for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Wednesday Buckeye Talk episode begins with an announcement and then continues with nearly three hours of appreciation. Doug Lesmerises is leaving cleveland.com and Buckeye Talk. The pod will continue with Nathan Baird and Stephen Means and a potential addition, and you'll find Doug somewhere else out there in podcast land pursuing a chance he couldn't turn down. Doug will be on two more episodes on Thursday and Friday, but on this episode he answers more than 40 questions from text subscribers about his favorite Ohio State games, players, coaches and memories, and his favorite episodes and aspects of Buckeye Talk. This went super long, but there was a lot to remember, and a lot for Doug to be grateful about. This podcast audience has been the highlight of his career, and he wouldn't be where he is without these listeners. So strap in for lots of memories ... or skip this one and look forward to next week and the new future of Buckeye Talk. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your Ohio State fandom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Phil Steele -- from Phil Steele's College Football Preview -- to talk about the 2023 college football season. Among the subjects covered: Why the Big Ten has four of the five best running back rooms in the country Comparing Ohio State's receivers to everyone else Michigan's offensive line Penn State's defense Wisconsin as a surprise team How Western Kentucky and Notre Dame might fare against the Buckeyes Are Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State three of the five best teams in the country? Plus condolences at the end of the pod to Ohio State freshman receiver Carnell Tate on the death of his mother, Ashley. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness from Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are talking preseason polls and Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eating', Whatcha Thinkin'? First, (0:30) they dive into Ohio State's history in the Associated Press preseason poll. How are the Buckeyes viewed with a returning QB vs. when they have a new QB? And what does that mean for the 2023 Buckeyes, who will have a new starting quarterback? Doug and Nathan predict where they will, and should be, ranked. Then (21:41) it's a look at the bigger picture and who should be and will be No. 1 in the preseason poll. Where will Michigan be ranked compared to Ohio State? And in the cleveland.com preseason Big Ten poll that will drop next week, which team is the likely favorite? Finally (42:31) it's talk about watching, eating and thinking. That includes a boring movie and an exciting TV show; Pizza Hut in Paris; and whether being a tourist is a good or bad thing, and how you should handle an unsatisfactory meal in a restaurant. Football and nonsense ... thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises are playing off the Thursday episode that dug into the 1998 Ohio State-Michigan State game. Was that the most devastating loss in Ohio State history? The one game that fans would want to reverse the outcome of? Or would it be another game, maybe a loss by a great OSU team with national title hopes to an opponent like Michigan, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, USC or another team? Doug made a top-10 list of the results he thinks the Buckeyes would most want to change, and Nathan gathered an array of answers from text subscribers to come up with their list of the most popular games to undo. It makes for an interesting look at the long, successful history of Ohio State by examining how many times a single loss in a season kept them from a title. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another edition of Buckeye ReTalkables on Buckeye Talk as Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird look back on and discuss Ohio State's 28-24 loss to Michigan State in 1998 season. The Buckeyes were No. 1 coming into this game in this first year of the BCS, and this upset in Ohio Stadium was the only loss of the year for this John Cooper team. Michigan State was an average team coming in, but was coached by legend in the making Nick Saban, and the Spartans had future high first-round picks on both sides of the ball. Ohio State featured five future first-round picks on defense and a high-powered passing offense that makes for some interesting comparisons to the 2023 Ohio State offense, from Joe Germaine at quarterback to Michael Wiley at running back to David Boston at receiver. This is a painful rewatch and discussion for Ohio State fans, but there's a lot of interesting college football history to discuss and maybe some lessons to be learned. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's finally the traffic podcast you've been promised on this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises is joined by Ohio State professor Dr. Benjamin Coifman. Dr. Coifman is a traffic expert who studies traffic flow and driver dynamics, among other things, and he's here to talk about all the things that drive you nuts on the road and the way we maybe can all be a bit better out there. The topics: (0:30) How people think they drive compared to other people (9:05) Ohio State traffic on gameday and how the school handles it (16:28) Leaving gaps at a traffic light (23:06) Roundabouts (28:24) Etiquette when merging in construction (36:22) When traffic appears for no reason (42:32) What individual drivers can do to help traffic (48:15) The future of autonomous vehicles We like the occasional off-topic offseason pod, and thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pat Fitzgerald was fired as the head coach of the Northwestern Wildcats on Monday, and though this is Buckeye Talk and a podcast about Ohio State, that kind of Big Ten news merits a discussion. And there are Ohio State lessons involved with this from how the Buckeyes handled Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer in the past. Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird discuss this mess from several angles: (0:30) Reaction to the Fitzgerald firing (10:05) How would Ohio State have handled this situation? (22:06) The constant balance around the power of a football coach (42:29) Where will the Northwestern football program go from here? (50:00) A final wrap from Doug, including Fitzgerald's statement Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles last season while earning second-team All-American. He's back, so will he lead the Buckeyes in tackles again? On this Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means talk about Eichenberg's potential place in Ohio State history, and then make their predictions on a tackle leader for this season. (0:30) The player Eichenberg has been, and could be in 2023 (22:58) Other candidates to lead the Buckeyes in tackles (33:26) Marking down predictions for Ohio State's tackle leader and how many he'll have Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are hitting several topics on the Ohio State Buckeyes: (0:52) The addition of cornerback recruit Miles Lockhart (13:55) Would the Buckeyes rather win the national title in 2023 or 2024? (30:28) Which Buckeye would the guys most and least want to box? (39:29) If and when schools can hire more assistant coaches, what will the Buckeyes do? (1:00:03) What's on a player and what's on a program when it comes to development? (1:15:08) With an increase in playoff games, what will happen to old records? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are the greatest threats to the continued high-level success of Ohio State football? What are the internal issues that could trip up the Buckeyes? What Big Ten competition could make the future more difficult? How about changes on the evolving national college football landscape? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, off a great suggestion from an Ohio State text subscriber, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means rank their 10 greatest threats to Ohio State football over the next five to 10 years. And when it comes to those threats, how real are they? Doug and Stephen also discuss if they really believe there are multiple things that could shake the Buckeyes from their perch near the top of college football. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Scott committed to Ohio State on Sunday, and Marquise Lightfoot picked Miami over the Buckeyes on Monday. It was two major defensive decisions as the Buckeyes try to get back to their old standard of recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk (Happy 4th) Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means break down the state of talent acquisition on defense. That starts with a long look at the decision of top-20 player and 310-pound defensive tackle Scott to choose the Buckeyes. Then it's onto edge rusher Lightfoot picking the Hurricanes over Ohio State. In that are long debates about the recruiting of defensive line coach Larry Johnson; of what the Buckeyes have done lately in the Chicago area (where both Scott and Lightfoot are from); and about the last time Ohio State landed a player like Scott. The last part of the episode then focuses on comparing Ohio State defensive recruiting in 2024 to previous OSU defensive classes. And it outlines the major defensive targets still on the board for the Buckeyes, when they are scheduled to commit, and who the Buckeyes are recruiting against. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Mark It Down Monday, the statistical prediction is a little more complicated. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means aren't looking at an individual stat -- they are marking down what percent of plays for the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes will be pass plays, and how many will be run plays. To do that, they look at run-pass OSU percentages of the recent past; they compare the OSU passing game to other successful throwing teams like Washington and Tennessee; and they wonder how much Brian Hartline calling plays, the presence of a quarterback competition and other factors will affect the run-pass balance. And then they mark it down. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this weekend Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is talking about the new national focus for Michigan, which has reportedly instituted a Beat Georgia practice period. Doug theorizes (0:30) that means Ohio State is 20 years ahead of Michigan in being a national program. Then he (11:35) compares the top-10 wins in the histories of the two programs and what that tells us about their national ambitions and success. Finally (24:16) it's what a bit of a Georgia focus by the Wolverines would mean for the Ohio State-Michigan game. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Weird that it's this short, eh? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the single most dominant aspect of Ohio State's offense? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means give their answer to that question from an Ohio State text subscriber. Doug is back from vacation (0:30) and ready to jabber, and that means everyone needs to be ready to give and defend their answers. First Nathan (3:13), then Stephen (21:02), then Doug (48:38). Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State and Michigan have played only one overtime game -- the 2016 classic that sent the Buckeyes to the playoff. Could they be destined for their second such outcome in The Game in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25? Tyler Shoemaker, Buckeye Talk's resident oddsmaker, joins the show to discuss his preseason power rankings. That includes a razor-thin margin for the regular-season finale at the Big House. Tyler also discusses why Ohio State's offense remains so highly ranked despite many preseason questions, why the Buckeye defense is expected to be better and what his numbers say about the rest of the Big Ten Conference. While Tyler's numbers are meant to be compared to betting lines, what do they tell us about what we expect from the Buckeyes for reasons beyond the cold, hard numbers? Discussion topics include: • (1:30) Tyler explains the TSI and how he tweaked his system for 2023. • (6:00) What the TSI predicts for Ohio State • (7:45) Why the OSU-Michigan rankings caused Tyler to double-check his numbers • (9:00) Why Tyler's numbers still predict OSU to have the nation's best offense despite new QB, offensive line questions, etc. • (17:15) What TSI predicts for Ohio State's defense, and why • (23:30) How TSI accounts for teams like Michigan that outperform their recruiting rankings • (28:00) What TSI predicts for The Game against Michigan • (36:30) How Ohio State's strength of schedule affects its win-loss prediction • (43:00) How a Drew Allar breakout would affect Penn State relative to its expectations and other predictions around the Big Ten Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With two more commitments from last weekend's batch of official visits, Ohio State now has 16 for its 2024 recruiting class. How large will that class grow -- and more importantly, who will be in it? Stephen Means gives Nathan Baird his predictions for what could be one of the highest-rated Buckeye classes in recent history. • (2:00) Did Ohio State need commitments last weekend to build momentum into the summer? • (4:00) Is the Glenville pipeline to OSU "reopened" or was it simply not flowing for a while? • (8:30) How crucial is the Bryce West commitment, and where is his long-term fit in this secondary? • (11:00) Does OSU also need a commitment from Aaron Scott to call cornerback recruiting a win for this cycle? • (12:30) Does landing West help OSU also get a commitment from Scott? • (14:30) What is the best comparable for Demarion Witten as an OSU tight end? • (16:00) Why did Ohio State need a two tight-end class for 2024? • (17:45) Discussing Buckeye Talk Subtext subscriber survey results on offensive and defensive recruiting. • (25:30) Who is the class' most important commitment so far? • (26:30) What is the biggest recruiting "win" so far for this class? • (29:20): Must underrated commitment to this point? • (31:00) Toughest battle ahead to hold on to an existing commit? • (32:15) Biggest positional need still unfilled? • (36:45) How large will this class be, and why will OSU take that many? • (38:15) Why does Stephen think the Buckeyes will get both KJ Bolden and Eddrick Houston from Buford, Georgia? • (43:00) What are the fall-back options at safety if Bolden is unavailable? • (46:30) Is edge rusher the biggest remaining need for this class and who will fill it? • (50:00) Why is this trending to be a linebacker-heavy class? • (52:20) Does OSU need two highly ranked offensive tackles in this class? • (55:30) Predicting the final pieces of the class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Sawyer and Mike Hall Jr. tied for the Ohio State team lead in sacks last season with 4.5. The year before, Haskell Garrett led the team with 5.5. In the last full season before that, Chase Young led the Buckeyes with 16.5. That's quite a drop off. So who will lead the Buckeyes in sacks in 2023, and how many will they have? Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means make their predictions on the latest Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk. (0:30) Does Ohio State need more sacks as a team to succeed? (16:44) Discussing the candidates to lead the Buckeyes in sacks (40:40) Marking down sack predictions for 2023 Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for another Buckeye Retalkables, and up on this episode of Buckeye Talk is Ohio State vs. Michigan from 2016, as the No. 2 Buckeyes hosted the No. 3 Wolverines. This was Jim Harbaugh's second year as a head coach in the rivalry and the Wolverines, with a veteran team, had a real chance coming into Columbus. The Buckeyes prevailed 30-27 in double overtime thanks to Curtis Samuel, and in victory Urban Meyer considered this a legendary win for the Buckeyes. More than six years removed, what do Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means think now? There are all the usual ReTalkables categories, but this episode is really about two major revelations. Plus, there's some good Nick Bosa talk. Thanks for listening to another ReTalkables on Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices