Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

On this episode of Betting the Buckeyes on Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are talking about the possible live betting opportunity on Ohio State on Saturday night. TShoe's ratings have Wisconsin as a top-15 team, so the fact that Ohio State is favored by 18.5 points might be a bit high. Might it take a quarter for Buckeyes' defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to adjust to Wisconsin? If so, a first-quarter Wisconsin score could set up a live betting chance on Ohio State, and Doug and TShoe discuss what that means. Then, it's time for picks, with love of a Pac-12 team, belief in a Big Ten team, and expected mercy from an SEC team. Finally, Tyler gives out his upset special and his three best bets of the week. Then there's a tip about betting over/unders, even as Doug messes up the advice by falling for a quarterback. Thanks for listening to Betting the Buckeyes on Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are back to rapid fire topics presented by Ohio State text subscribers. The topics covered in order are: Is Ohio State's better chance at a title next season, or is 2022 the best collection of talent for a title? What are the thoughts on the I-formation and new offensive looks? Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba sometimes be a decoy? How should the Will linebacker snaps by divvied up between Steele Chambers and Cody Simon? Do the Buckeyes look like they're having fun? They should be How is Ohio State on third-and-short this season? That leads into a look at how the Buckeyes stack up on third down in a lot of areas Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises one again entertains rants, takes and strong opinions on the Buckeyes from the cleveland.com Ohio State text subscribers. The topics covered, in order: A bad take heard at a bar The OSU standard vs the Browns Taking a grandpa to an OSU game Alex Grinch Night games Feedback on Ryan Day or Urban Meyer Ohio State puts out a wrong injury report Are the defensive ends wrecking plays? Michigan's quarterback revenge Cornerback concerns Sonny Styles The defense isn't bend, don't break How C.J. Stroud handles himself compared to past OSU QBs Ryan Day vs. Kirby Smart How should TreVeyon Henderson be viewed, used and counted on That's a whole lot of rants and takes. Thanks for listening to them on Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are breaking the pod into three segements. First, from the start to 23:35, Ohio State football: A rewatch of how the defense played vs. Toledo A big-play breakdown for the OSU offense and defense Snap counts for the linebackers, defensive ends and receivers And more Then, from 23:25 to 1:04:27, national college football and how the Buckeyes fit in there: How Garrett Wilson played in his second NFL game Sunday Where Ohio State's defense ranks compared to other top teams The Michigan-Maryland matchup coming Saturday Penn State's win over Auburn What Nebraska should learn from Ohio State and whether Urban Meyer, Tom Herman or Brian Hartline could make sense for the Cornhuskers Then from 1:04:27 until the end, it's Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eatin', Whatcha Thinkin': TV shows that are good and/or annoying us Squash Job interviews and what happened to Craig Kilborn? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this postgame Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are here to talk about Ohio State's 77-21 win over Toledo. First, a discussion of C.J. Stroud and the passing game, which continues until the 41:33 mark,. Then, it's onto the injury to TreVeyon Henderson and the OSU run game until the 1:00:11 mark. And finally, it's the Ohio State defense and how it handled Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn until the end of the pod. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Betting the Buckeyes again on Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are back to talk Ohio State and college football from a gambling standpoint. To start this episode, they run through the lines on Ohio State-Toledo and TShoe offers the bet he likes best around the Buckeyes. Then they talk about trying to get in a coach's head in the second half of a blowout. Then, Mr. Math and Mr. Emotion each make a pick in each of the Power 5 conferences. The bets run from Iowa to Maryland, from LSU to North Carolina State, from USC to Baylor. And then the pod ends with TShoe giving his Upset Pick of the Week and three best bets. Tyler is rolling with his bets so far this season, so get on board. Thanks for listening to Betting the Buckeyes on Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means preview Ohio State's home game with Toledo at 7 p.m. Saturday night. First, they run through the news and insight on Ohio State, including the latest on what Ryan Day said about the health of star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Then they look at Toledo's best players, Ohio State's history against Ohio teams, and how often Toledo has given a game to ranked opponents. Then they make their picks, with the Buckeyes favored by 31.5. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are taking a cue from text subscribers and discussing how they try to evaluate the Ohio State Buckeyes early in a season like this. Ohio State owns a 21-10 win over Notre Dame and a 45-12 win over Arkansas State, and what do those wins tell us about how good the Buckeyes are? What should it mean that star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba missed most of the first game and all of the second? How about the fact that Notre Dame was upset in Week 2 by Marshall? Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss comparing the Buckeyes to their own high standard and to the best teams in the country, discuss what past seasons tell us about early-season evals, and pick out the individual player matchups and scheme successes that they think translate vs. all competition. Also, do the Buckeyes play down to their competition or not? It's all on this Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, the Ohio State text subscribers and Doug Lesmerises are ready to rant again about the Buckeyes. The topics covered, in order: Where Toledo coach Jason Candle is wrong about Ryan Day Ohio State football is playing too many night games At The Shoe, there aren't enough bathrooms and the music is too loud What the Notre Dame and Wisconsin losses do to Ohio State's schedule Good Tommy Eichenberg When C.J. Stroud will run it Michigan should be ranked higher than Ohio State Big non-conference games don't help the Buckeyes Jaxon Smith-Njigba being out is helping Ohio State Leaving Stroud in blowouts is driving some fans nuts Ryan Day's niceness makes some people miss Urban Meyer That's a lot. Hope you like it. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State has been on the playoff bubble more than any other national power during the eight years of that version of the postseason. How differently would the recent history have looked had the powers that be implemented a 12-team playoff in 2014? Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means went year-by-year through the actual brackets to see who the Buckeyes would have played. Did limiting the playoff to four teams cost OSU another national championship along the way? Or more than one? Up front, Nathan recaps some highlights from taking a second look at the 45-12 victory over Arkansas State on Saturday. If this is a bend-don't-break defense, is that a positive at this stage considering the opponents? On the other hand, some components of this defense are playing very well, and the potential ceiling remains much higher than what the Buckeyes were working with a year ago. In the final segment, Nathan looks at some national results with OSU interest. That includes Michigan's volcanic eruption against Hawaii and J.J. McCarthy's newly minted status as the Wolverines' starting quarterback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State did not really pull away from Arkansas State until early in the third quarter. Yet as we saw around college football on Saturday, that was not the worst possible outcome for the Buckeyes. Nathan and Stephen give some context to the 45-12 victory through questions from our Buckeye Talk Subtext subscribers. How good will this offense be when Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming return, or will the production stay the same when the names change? What is going on with cornerback Denzel Burke? Has this receiving corps taken a step back in terms of speed, and does it matter? Also, we react to Notre Dame's loss to Marshall and discuss where Ohio State should be ranked going into Week 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Betting the Buckeyes is back for Week 2 after last week's debut, as Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises return to discuss the weekend in college football from a gambling standpoint. First up on this episode, Ohio State is favored by 44.5 over Arkansas State and the total is 68.5. TShoe has a clear angle on one of those bets, and Doug and Tyler discuss getting inside the mind of a head coach in a blowout. Then it's time for Doug and TShoe to each make one bet from each Power 5 conference. Last week, both went 3-2 on these picks, and this week, there's a direct disagreement on Michigan's big number vs. Hawaii. Plus, the USC-Stanford game feels a little fishy, and Doug forgets what conference Texas A&M is in. Then, TShoe finishes the pod with his picks in the weeds, where he really hopes to make you some money. Ohio State will play Toledo next week. This week, the Rockets are part of one of his best bets. Thanks for listening to Betting the Buckeyes on Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are previewing Saturday's game in Ohio Stadium, when Ohio State will host Arkansas State. But they're also discussing something Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said on Thursday. On this episode: From the start to 25:49, a discussion of Day saying ego can't get in the way of the run game and that starts with him From 25:40 to 44:01, breaking down Arkansas State and their major players From 44:01 to the end, making game picks and picking the Buckeyes that everyone should be most curious about on Saturday. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, it's rapid fire once again, and then the latest practice update at the end. But to start off, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are answering text subscriber questions and talking Ryan Day and chowder. Topics covered were, in order: Ranking what bothered the offense most Saturday Tyleik Williams and defensive line snap breakdowns What would getting Bronny James mean for the OSU basketball team and the football team? Best game day traditions at Ohio State and what must you do if you attend a game What should you watch for vs. Arkansas State on Saturday How did Paris Johnson play in his first start at left tackle? What if the Buckeyes had made two more plays and won 31-10 vs. Notre Dame? Could Marvin Harrison Jr. still break the OSU touchdown record? Advice for parents Why does it seem like reporters on the Ohio State beat have changed jobs lately? Then, Nathan and Stephen offer the latest updates from interviews after practice on Wednesday. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, it's time for more rants and takes on the Buckeyes as Doug Lesmerises welcomes 10 strong opinions from the OSU text subscribers (sign up for a free trial at 614-350-3315) and comments on all of them. In order, the topics are: C.J. Stroud Band noise on broadcasts Miyan Williams Josh Proctor-Lathan Ransom OSU vs. Notre Dame compared to Georgia vs. Clemson last year Stroud running Were we cranky on the postgame pod? When to say Buckeye Talk jokes Being an OSU fan can be exhausting Ryan Day's play calling Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the in-season Monday episode on Buckeye Talk and this is the plan this season as Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird will bring you this pod each Monday. Part 1 is Ohio State; Part 2 is national college football, Michigan and OSU in context; and Part 3 is Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eatin', Whatcha Thinkin'? Part 1 in this episode looks at how many explosive plays Ohio State made compared to last year and discusses the Buckeyes defending their Kings of The North title. Part 2 looks a bit at Georgia and Alabama, how Nathan will vote the Buckeyes compared to those two teams on his AP ballot, and what's up with Michigan. Part 3 is bean fields, Urkel, sisters and keys in electric sockets. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the first Ohio State football postgame pod of the 2022 season, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means break down the Buckeyes' 21-10 win over Notre Dame on Saturday night in Ohio Stadium. It's late. You know how postgame pods work, right? They talk about what happened in the game and what it means? You get it. Enjoy this weekend Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're trying something new on Buckeye Talk. We're not taking anything away, but we're adding something extra to the mix. That's this weekly gambling show on Buckeye Talk called Betting the Buckeyes, and it brings in old friend Tyler Shoemaker as the official gambling expert for Buckeye Talk. He'll be here every Friday on this preview show with Doug Lesmerises to do three things: Offer a gambling perspective on the OSU game, since Tyler is an OSU fan who understands balancing your heart and your money. Make a gambling pick in each Power 5 conference, and Doug will do the same as they square off in a classic showdown of Smart vs. Not So Smart. Offer best bets with the Upset of The Week, and some other best bets from around the country. It's something new and fun in the Buckeye Talk feed as many states have legalized sports betting and Ohio prepares to do so on Jan. 1. If you gamble on college football, or if you are thinking you might want to try, this pod will appeal to you. If you don't have any interest in gambling, but you still like Ohio State and college football, there's some discussion in here that will interest you. The breakdown this week: Intro to 12:43: Breaking down the betting lines on Ohio State-Notre Dame, and Tyler offering a bet for the game that he likes the best. 12:43 to 21:39: How Tyler got into gambling and what's his method and success rate with his system. 21:39 to 35:27: Doug and Tyler each make a pick on a game in the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC, SEC and Big 12. 35:27 to 45:11: Tyler gives his Upset of the Week and gets in the weeds to make some other under-the-radar picks he likes the best. 45:11 to end: Don't bet over your head. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk and thanks for giving this new episode a try. See you back for Betting the Buckeyes next Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are here to break down Saturday night's matchup between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Notre Dame and make their picks for the Buckeyes vs. the Fighting Irish. A separate pod on Friday with Doug and Tyler Shoemaker will discuss the OSU-ND game from a gambling perspective, and also make some picks from around the country. But here, this is the lineup: Start to 5:30: An OSU injury update 5:30 to 11:20: C.J. Stroud gave his teammates a gift 11:20 to 17:09: Where Ohio State ranks in the national composite of roster talent 17:09 to 22:18: 3 Buckeyes to watch 22:18 to 35:30: The Notre Dame offense vs. the Ohio State defense 35:30 to 41:02: The Ohio State offense vs. the Notre Dame defense 41:02 to end: Game picks Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Don't miss the postgame pod late after the game Saturday or early Sunday morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Thursday Buckeye Talk is a rapid fire and a news update to get you ready for the Ohio State-Notre Dame opener on Saturday night. The last 15 minutes of the episode, starting at the 1:27:06 mark, is an update from Wednesday night interviews with Ohio State players, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means provide updates on what they saw and learned. But most of the pod is rapid fire answers to rapid fire questions from OSU text subscribers. In order, the topics are: What's the play call the first time the Buckeyes are in a third-and-2 Saturday? How big of a recruiting night will Saturday be? Discussing OSU as a playoff No. 1 seed and No. 1 team in the AP poll Are Ohio State's history of home non-conference losses a concern How could C.J. Stroud seize Heisman Trophy momentum Could the Buckeyes go, egads, 9-3? What's our view on white pizza? A possible explanation for why Ohio State has three kickers Ohio State's lingering red-zone issues, how much must they improve? How do we rate Ohio State's chances of winning a title in the next five years? It's a great discussion thanks to great questions from texters. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises is looking for a name for what this in-season episode is likely to be each Wednesday -- Doug and the Ohio State text subscribers combining to offer 10 rants and takes on the Buckeyes and what matters most with the football team. For this first effort, here were the 10 topics covered, in order: A Lathan Ransom breakout What Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer will do vs. the Buckeyes Should Jim Tressel dot the i? When C.J. Hicks should start at linebacker If a lack of cornerback depth will cost Ohio State a shot at a title How often Ohio State should play Notre Dame Whether the Buckeyes need to get four sacks Saturday Ryan Day seeing an edge in his team Whether Day will pass Nick Saban as the best coach in college football Is the defense overrated or underrated and who are its playmakers? We'll continue to work out (and eventually name) this format. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means attack a topic they've been talking around for years -- the idea of the Ohio State Buckeyes as The Kings of The North of college football. What does that mean? How did it happen? And will it continue? In the first segment through the 26:23 mark, Doug explains his first part of the series, how Ohio State is the only Northern team to win a national title this century, but Notre Dame, Michigan and Cincinnati may all be on the upswing. In the second segment, from 26:23 to 47:23, Nathan explains the database of regional recruiting data he helped create, and what those numbers show about Ohio State's success in bringing recruits from the South and Southwest to retain their Northern supremacy. In the third segment, from 47:23 until the end, Stephen looks at the recruiting battles ahead, talking teams like Penn State and Iowa, but especially Notre Dame, when it comes to schools challenging the Buckeyes in their backyard and going out into the world as other Northern draws for recruits from other regions. You kind of have to listen to this pod or read the three-part series at cleveland.com to get the idea here. It's a theory, with some numbers and reporting to back it up. And with Ohio State hosting Notre Dame on Tuesday, it was time to finally do this. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2022 college football season is here, and Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are making their playoff picks on the final Mark It Down Monday before the Ohio State Buckeyes open the season against Notre Dame on Saturday. In this episode of Buckeye Talk, Doug, Nathan and Stephen start by sharing what they think will happen with Buckeyes. Will they make the playoff? And if so, what will their seed be? Then it's on to sharing all four of their playoff teams. And finally, they pick their College Football National Champions. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your week, and don't forget to read cleveland.com/osu for even more Ohio State football coverage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises finishes his offseason project that was designed to arrive at a final percent chance of the Ohio State Buckeyes going undefeated during the 2022 regular season. To discuss those numbers, Doug is first joined by Tyler Shoemaker, the officially unofficial bookmaker of Buckeye Talk who shares his own numbers on the chances of the Buckeyes winning each game and then getting 12-0. Then Nathan Baird and Stephen Means join to go through all 12 games, agree or disagree on Doug's percent chance on each game, and discuss the final undefeated number. There's also a quick lesson on the undefeated history of the Buckeyes over the last 70 years and of other teams in the playoff era. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking Ohio State receivers. Wednesday night, Brian Hartline and the OSU receivers met with reporters, and all of that is covered on this episode. The topics discussed went in this order: Start to 11:02: Jaxon Smith-Njigba 11:02 to 24;25: Marvin Harrison Jr. 24:25 to 35:23: The WR rotation 35:23 to 37:37: Emeka Egbuka 37:37 to 47:27: Julian Fleming 47:27 to 56:42: Special teams 56:42 to the end: Jayden Ballard Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dive into their interviews Tuesday with cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, safeties coach Perry Eliano and several OSU cornerbacks and safeties. The start of the pod through the 22:12 mark focuses on cornerbacks. Then from 22:12 to 44:38, the focus is on safeties. And then from 44:38 to the end of the pod, the discussion is Doug's obsession with Kourt Williams. How is the top-end talent in the secondary? How is the depth? How is the health? Get all that and more on the latest Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the final opponent preview podcast of the preseason, as it's time to talk The Game. For this episode of Buckeye Talk on the 12th game of Ohio State's season, Doug Lesmerises doesn't have an opposing team beat writer as his co-host -- he has the Buckeye Talk text subscribers. Doug sent a lengthy survey out to texters, and on this pod he runs through the answers and reads interesting takes on the game. How good will Michigan's defense be without Aidan Hutchinson? How intense are rivalry feelings for OSU fans right now? And, most importantly, at the end, there's a discussion of whether this game qualifies as a must-win for the Ohio State football program and Ryan Day. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another Mark It Down Monday, and as the 2022 college football season draws near, it's time for Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means to check in with some major predictions. In this episode, it's the Heisman Trophy. And the major question is whether Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud will win it. The pod starts with a discussion of the history of Ohio State and the Heisman, and some Buckeyes who have finished higher up in the voting since Troy Smith brought home Ohio State's last trophy in 2006. Then Nathan, Doug and Stephen each mark down their top three players for the award. At the end of the season, Heisman voters pick a top three, and this is prediction of what that will look like. Stroud is discussed at length. But there's another Ohio State player that also appears on one of the ballots. Thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

C.J. Stroud said Thursday he feels stronger and healthier entering his second season as Ohio State's starting quarterback. He also dropped the intriguing nugget that he is faster than he's ever been in his life. Does that mean the Heisman Trophy finalist will make more plays with his feet in the season ahead? Well, probably not, and Nathan and Stephen discussed what a little extra speed might truly mean for OSU's quarterback in 2022. Also, Kyle McCord is excited about the progress he has made and is preparing as if he must start the next game. Freshman Devin Brown is still catching up to the speed of the game. All of that and more from the three scholarship QBs and assistant coach Corey Dennis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, news changed the plan. The Big Ten announced its new TV deal Thursday morning, and Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are here to react to it First up is that initial discussion with Doug and Nathan on what the deal means, from the start of the show until the 18:55 mark. Then Doug comes back to comment on what Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had to say about the new deal. That goes from 18:55 to 29:03. And then Doug reveals the answers to a texter survey on the new deal and networks, which goes until the end of the show. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football's deep and talented defensive line sat down for their preseason camp interviews Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. But a development on the other side of the ball dominated the day's conversation. Evan Pryor was expected to have at the least an enlightening redshirt freshman season. He showed some of his growth in the spring game and by many accounts was having a strong camp. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury Monday. Nathan and Stephen discuss the ramifications and what the Buckeyes will and won't do in response. On the defensive side, we gathered Larry Johnson's reaction to retirement rumors, Mike Hall's big camp, where Tyleik Williams must improve and more about the tackles. We also learned who has been training the most at the Jack and some details on the fluctuating body sizes of Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are running through a lot about Ohio State football, and a little about life: 2:00 -- The AP poll, and where Nathan voted the Buckeyes, and what voting is like 17:19 -- Kam Babb picked to wear the Block O jersey 22:36 -- Ohio State named six captains 31:10 -- More on Nathan's bus guy, Mike Hall 32:50 -- What offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said about his future 39:05 -- How Wilson said the run game is looking so far this preseason 46:50 -- Cade Stover, Mitch Rossi as the top tight ends 55:12 -- What Doug and Nathan are Watchin' 1:00:09 -- What Doug and Nathan are Eatin' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This a big, beefy Mark It Down Monday, with Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means making stat predictions for all the things that matter in the 2022 Ohio State football season. Forcing a pick on numbers is a great way to zero in on your thoughts on the team, and that happens over and over again in this pod. Here are the stat topics discussed and when they come up on the podcast: C.J. Stroud passing yards (9:08) Jaxon Smith-Njigba receiving yards (25:00) TreVeyon Henderson rushing yards (37:00) Marvin Harrison Jr. touchdown catches (51:30) Evan Pryor or Miyan Williams, who has more yards? (1:00:37) Julian Fleming or Emeka Egbuka more yards? (1:05:01) Cade Stover receptions (1:06:01) Egbuka punt return touchdowns (1:10:05) Defensive ends playing the most snaps (1:12:19) Defensive tackles playing the most snaps (1:14:16) Leader in sacks (1:16:53) Leader in tackles (1:22:21) Leader in interceptions (1;28:12) This was a fun pod to record, hopefully it's just as fun to listen to. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are eager to share what they learned after watching Ohio State's full practice Thursday, which is a rare treat on the OSU beat. First, you get to gather first-hand info about depth charts and position groups. Second, you get to watch a bunch of football. All of that is good. So this pod is running through every position group with who the starters and backups look like, which guys might have popped, and where are the Buckeyes deep or maybe a little short. In order, the discussions are: 6:36 -- Cornerbacks 12:29 -- Safeties 17:30 -- Linebackers 26:20 -- Defensive line 38:14 -- Receivers 49:10 -- Tight ends 55:30 -- Running backs 56:55 -- Special teams 59:43 -- Offensive line 1:05:18 -- Quarterback Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, it's time to get on the bus. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and the text subscribers offer up the Ohio State football players they believe in the most for the 2022 season. Which players will pop? Which backups will earn more playing time? Which good players will be great? Which great players will become legends? That's the question, and the text subscribers answered that in a poll that gave then 34 players as choices and asked them to pick one player they believe in more than most fans, one guy for whom they are driving the bus. Doug, Nathan and Stephen then used that poll to work through almost all the bus driving options on the roster. They each gave their bus picks. The read comments from texters about why they picked certain players. And they led up to a top 10, and then the No. 1 choice, for the most popular OSU bus players this season. The whole episode is the bus, so there's no way to give real time stamps here. It's all football. It's almost every Buckeye that matters. And it's bus driving time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are coming off interviews with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and five Ohio State linebackers, and there's a lot to discuss. Among the topics covered: Start to 17:30 -- An injury at cornerback and the effect it could have 17:30 to 28:44 -- A role for Kourt Williams? 28:44 to 31:24 -- Crypto in a convenience store 31:24 to 38:48 -- The defensive line mix 38:48 to 41:14 -- The starting linebackers 41:14 to 48:30 -- Freshman safety Sonny Styles 48:30 to 55:35 -- The 2018 recruiting class 55:35 to 1:03:55 -- Middle linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Simon 1:03:55 to 1:11:16 -- Will linebackers Steele Chambers and Chip Trayanum 1:11:16 to End -- Knowles wants a top-5 defense Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking offensive line after meeting with eight Ohio State offensive linemen and Buckeyes' offensive line coach Justin Frye on Monday. The topics on this episode include: Start to 3:20: Ohio State's ranking in the preseason coaches poll 3:20 to 11:18: The Buckeyes who made PFF's preseason All-Big Ten team 11:18 to 23:23: Frye, the first-year OL coach 23:23 to 39:59: Starting tackles Dawand Jones and Paris Johnson Jr. 39:59 to 44:52: Starting center Luke Wypler 44:52 to 54:53: Starting guards Donovan Jackson and Matthew Jones 54:53 to the end: The backup offensive linemen, especially Josh Fryar and Zen Michalski Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Mark it Down Monday, and Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are picking the Ohio State football players they think will be first-team All-Americans this season and earn trees in Buckeye Grove. But first, they discuss check-in at the Ohio State team hotel on Sunday night and what some players wore. Then (8:59), a discussion begins about the latest Ohio State basketball recruiting commitment, which leads into a debate over whether the OSU football team or basketball team will finish with a higher-rated recruiting class for 2023. Both are currently No. 3. Then, Doug has an idea (24:20) to expand Buckeye Grove to include quarterbacks who weren't first-team All-Americans, but did finish in the top 5 of the Heisman Trophy voting. After that, the discussion about offensive skill players who could be All-Americans begins (35:40.) Then the debate moves on to the offensive line (57:54). And then the podcast wraps up (1:09:45) by looking at which defensive players, if any, have the best All-American chances. This Buckeye Talk gets into a lot, but it's smooth. As always, thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, it's time to talk running backs. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means watched a part of the second practice of Ohio State's preseason Friday and then talked to members of Ohio State's running backs room. That meant assistant coach Tony Alford and backs TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, Evan Pryor and Dallan Hayden. Covered on this episode: How much better might Henderson be as a sophomore? What might Williams as the complementary power back look like? How will the Buckeyes figure out the Williams-Pryor rotation behind Henderson? What's Hayden like? What got Alford fired up Friday? How did the Buckeyes really run the ball last year? What will be the balance in playing younger defensive players this season? And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dig into the first day of Ohio State football preseason camp. The Buckeyes practiced Thursday morning, and Doug, Nathan and Stephen were there to watch, react and then ask Ryan Day about it. Topics covered in this episode include: Who looked like the starters at every position in drills? What's the word on the backup offensive line? A linebacker who might have a bigger role than expected A kicker on the move? The breakdown at the safety position A revelation about WR Julian Fleming Day reacts to his top-10 defense comment And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird look at recruiting home runs. By their definition, those are roughly top-100 national recruits that aren't from Ohio and don't have pre-existing ties to Ohio State. These are national recruiting battles where the Buckeyes go and win, beating the best teams in the country for the best players in the country. How many home runs are the Buckeyes hitting under Ryan Day compared to Urban Meyer? How many of the recent home runs are at quarterback or receiver compared to other positions? How many are on defense, and how might the Buckeyes hit more home runs on that side of the ball? Doug, Stephen and Nathan dig into all of that, plus the flip of 2023 tight end Ty Lockwood from Ohio State to Alabama. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since Thursday, Ohio State football saw targets commit to Alabama and UCF, saw one member of its 2023 class decommit, and also landed the quarterback it needed for the class. Oh, and the class of 2025 is officially underway with the commitment of Jontae Gilbert. Stephen and Nathan discuss that four-day stretch and try to put it in context. Also, they look ahead to Thursday's first practice and, more importantly, the expected window of time that will be open to reporters. What will we have our eyes on when we have our first chance to watch the Buckeyes since the spring? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk, and it's getting very specific about Ohio State's opener against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. Who will start for the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball in that game? This is a way for Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means to talk about the Ohio State position battles, as preseason camp prepares to start this week. But it also puts 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. This is a good exercise to run through the entire roster before practice starts. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday edition of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises visits with former Big Ten sportswriter Teddy Greenstein, who now is a senior editor at PointsBet, to talk about three college football topics: Betting on Ohio State and the Big Ten this season, and the future of legalized betting in Ohio The development of high school QBs and Teddy's new book, "Quarterback Dads" How the Big Ten reached this position of strength in college football and how much former commissioner Jim Delany helped lay the foundation These are three areas that should interest Buckeye fans, and as always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football's recent string of runner-up finishes for top defensive prospects have jarred some fans' confidence in the program's recruiting efforts. Each of those decisions, though, involved an individual player considering his own unique needs and preferences. When you add them up, how much do they actually affect the team the Buckeyes will put on the field in the future. Doug, Nathan and Stephen broke down the potential 2024 roster and simply asked if each position group was national championship caliber. The results were somewhat surprising, with more strength than expected at some positions but major questions lingering with some of the most important groups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State coach Ryan Day put a number on how much improvement he expects from his defense under new coordinator Jim Knowles this season. Day said the standard is a top-10 performance, and regardless of what measurement you use, that is a big jump for a defense that limped through 2021. Doug, Nathan and Stephen discussed whether that is a realistic goal for the coming season and what that sort of turnaround would look like. Also, what we learned from C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ronnie Hickman as they took their turns at the mic before Big Ten Media Days wrapped up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are reporting from Big Ten media days in Indianapolis. Tuesday, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and half the league's coaches and featured players spoke, but it was kind of the boring half. No Ohio State, no Wisconsin, no Penn State, no Michigan State. That meant the focus was on what Warren said about the future of the league, and what Jim Harbaugh and Michigan players said about the Wolverines after they beat Ohio State, won the Big Ten and reached the College Football Playoff last season. First, the guys talk Harbaugh. They they talk Warren. Then they talk what to expect when Ryan Day and the Buckeyes talk Wednesday. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Mark It Down Monday edition of Buckeye Talk, Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are marking down their Big Ten predictions for the season and unveiling the results of the 12th annual cleveland.com preseason Big Ten poll. Thirty-six reporters from around the Big Ten voted in the poll, picking the order of finish in both the East and West Divisions, the Big Ten champion and the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. The guys discuss the overall voting in all those areas while also revealing their personal ballots. This is all a buildup to Big Ten Media Days, which start on Tuesday. Cleveland.com will be there, and cleveland.com continues to produce the most official preseason poll for the league. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Friday rapid fire Buckeye Talk to wrap up the offseason as the Big Ten prepares to host its media days next week. Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird take more than 15 questions from text subscribers, with topics including: Whether a national title would make Ryan Day more or less likely to stay at Ohio State long-term Recent recruiting misses and what it means for coaches like Jim Knowles, Tony Alford and Justin Frye If Ohio State might be voted the No. 1 team in the country with a Week 1 blowout of Notre Dame Predicting if and when Notre Dame will join the Big Ten How a big J.T. Tuimoloau year might affect Ohio State's title chances What will there be more of over the next three years -- Ohio State national titles or Ohio State losses to Michigan? And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the 11th game of the Ohio State season to be previewed here on Buckeye Talk, and Maryland football is about as interesting as it has ever been in the Big Ten. On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Ahmed Ghafir, the founder of Insidetheblackandgold.net, joins Doug Lesmerises to talk about Maryland football, which features one of the best QBs in the Big Ten (Taulia Tagovailoa) and two of the better receivers (Dontay Demus Jr. and Rakim Jarrett). That offensive firepower could challenge a lot of teams in the Big Ten -- if the defense is just good enough to let the Terrapins hang around. The matchup will be Nov.19 at Maryland. Since Ohio State's trip there in 2020 was canceled because of the pandemic, the Buckeyes haven't visited College Park since 2018, when they barely escaped with a 52-51 win. Eleven previews down and one to go -- thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices