Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Welcome to this Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com. It's very late, and Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are very tired. But Ohio State played an excellent game to beat Clemson 49-28 and set up a national title matchup against Alabama, and you care about all of that and know what the deal with this podcast is, so listen. Thanks as always. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk Podcast from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dive into a live Zoom with text subscribers to preview Ohio State vs. Clemson in Friday's Sugar Bowl and to make their game picks for the Buckeyes vs. the Tigers. Tyler Shoemaker, the officially unofficial bookmaker of Buckeyes Talk, joins to talk about the 7.5-point line that has the Buckeyes as underdogs. Doug, Nathan and Stephen also make their picks for Alabama-Notre Dame and Cincinnati-Georgia. And everyone discusses which players, other than Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, could be the key to the game, with the nominations including Haskell Garrett, Marcus Williamson, Josh Proctor, Pete Werner and Trey Sermon. The game is almost here. The next Buckeye Talk Pod will be a postgame episode after Friday night's game. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk all season. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk podcast episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means run through what they learned from Tuesday's Sugar Bowl interviews with Ohio State's defense and Clemson's offense. What does Clemson think of Pete Werner? Will the Clemson receivers have a better game against the Buckeyes this time? Is this a big test for first-year OSU defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs? And is Clemson the No. 1 recruiting rival for Ohio State? Plus, the guys run through ways in which the competitive balance in college football might be fixed, and whether they agree or disagree with some ideas on how to do it. The picks and preview pod is coming Thursday. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State and Clemson meet Friday in the Sugar Bowl. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means run through what they learned after interviews Monday with Ohio State offensive players and Clemson defensive players as both teams continue to prepare for Friday's Sugar Bowl. Are the Buckeyes really ready to play their best game of the year against Clemson, and have they been playing down to competition? Did Dabo Swinney's ballot explanation about ranking Ohio State 11th actually make sense? How much did Garrett Wilson miss having Brian Hartline on the sideline at the Big Ten Championship and what will it mean that Hartline is back? How is Justin Fields' thumb and what does he think of how he has played lately? And do Ohio State and Clemson players view each other as rivals or not? All that and more on the latest Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in the summer and early fall, we discussed whether any college football national championship should come with an asterisk due to the coronavirus pandemic. As we enter the final week of preparations for the College Football Playoff semifinals, we are asking the opposite question. If Ohio State falls short of a national championship, should the COVID-19 experience put an asterisk on an otherwise great season? Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises also delved into a text subscriber poll on what aspects of the Clemson offense concern OSU fans the most. And Doug summons up one final rant on Group of Five ultra-sympathizers and those who think they belong in the four-team playoff structure. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark It Down Monday was a new addition to the daily Buckeye Talk rotation in 2020. We made our predictions on the outcome of the season, stat leaders, national awards, the Big Ten's coronavirus decisions -- basically every aspect of what could happen during the fall. We were wrong more often than we were correct, as you'll hear as we recap all of those decisions. Some were more wrong than others. For instance, Baron Browning fell a bit short of that 10-sack prediction. Justin Fields will not win the Heisman Trophy. On other topics, though, we had a good grasp on how the Buckeyes would perform. We're taking a small break from the pod, but come back bright and early for Monday Madness as we kick off a week of previewing the Buckeyes' playoff semifinal against Clemson at the Sugar Bowl. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird break the pod into three parts. First up, a discussion on the news of freshman slot receiver Mookie Cooper entering the the transfer portal. What does it mean for the OSU receiver room? Plus, why is Michigan firing assistant coaches and not the head coach? Then, Doug, Nathan and Stephen offer their opinions of Clemson, and where they think the Tigers could give the Buckeyes the most trouble. Finally, Matt Connolly, the Clemson beat writer for www.thestate.com, joins Doug to break down Clemson position group by position group and to analyze where the Tigers are better and worse compared to the team that beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl last year. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Way back on Aug. 3, the Buckeye Talk crew used an edition of Mark It Down Monday to predict that Ohio State's Justin Fields would win the 2020 Heisman Trophy. Unanimously. Well, like a lot of things in 2020, that did not go according to plan. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means all gave their top three choices for the balloting, which ended Monday, and none of them have the Buckeyes' star in their top three. So who should win? Your hosts debate the contenders and how much career achievements and accolades should factor into the single-season award. Also, please take our survey at https://www.cleveland.com/buckeyetalksurvey/ to help us make the podcast an even better listening experience. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State to face Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises open the week with another Monday Madness. They open with the hot topic of the day -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney voting Ohio State No. 1 in his USA Today coaches poll. Unlike most fake "bulletin board" material, could this actually backfire on Tigers' coach? In addition to the usual Monday Madness categories we also talk about the angst many people have in the wake of the final College Football Playoff rankings. Why are people upset that the same four teams keep getting picked? What system or ranking method would possibly produce a better result? Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means break it down as the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes were matched in a College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 2 Clemson in New Orleans. Here's the reaction to the revenge rematch, the latest news about whether Chris Olave will be able to play, and questions about how much the Buckeyes should fear the Tigers. Plus, undefeated Cincinnati didn't get much of a look from the playoff selection committee. Was that unfair to the Bearcats or just the way it is? There's reactions from the guys and from text subscribers. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this postgame Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means break down Ohio State's 22-10 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game. There's the good (Trey Sermon's record-setting rushing game), the bad (the OSU passing game) and the questionable (Ryan Day waiting too long to get to the run game.) But the Buckeyes are assured a spot in the College Football Playoff. The guys will be back with another pod Sunday afternoon after the playoff teams are announced, so this postgame pod isn't as long as usual. But thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday picks and preview pod, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are joined by the unofficially official bookmaker of Buckeye Talk, Tyler Shoemaker, to talk about what the betting lines would be if the Buckeyes played playoff contenders like Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Texas A&M. Then, with 40 text subscribers joining them in the zoom room, the guys update what they know about any potential COVID situation with Ohio State and how it might affect the team. Then there's a discussion on how the playoff committee is viewing the Buckeyes, and then finally, their picks for the Ohio State-Northwestern Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, as well as the ACC Championship between Clemson and Notre Dame and the SEC Championship between Alabama and Florida. Thanks to the text subscribers who joined live, and thanks to everyone who listens to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Thursday Buckeye Talk, there's about one hour and 45 minutes of recruiting talk and 25 minutes of football talk at the end. Just so you know. Wednesday was National Signing Day, so Stephen Means, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are here to break down everything about the Buckeyes' class of 21 players, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation. From Jack Sawyer to Denzel Burke, from Mike Hall to Kyle McCord, Stephen, Doug and Nathan answer a load of texter questions on the class after talking to Ryan Day and Mark Pantoni about what they described as a drama-free class. Then at the end, there was time for a little more talk about Saturday's Big Ten Championship between Ohio State and Northwestern. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk episode, the focus is the Big Ten Championship game between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 14 Northwestern on Saturday. To break down that game, Doug Lesmerises welcomes two guests. The first is Dan Olinger, a Northwestern football reporter for InsideNU.com who also happens to be a Northwestern student, an Ohio State fan and a listener of Buckeye Talk. Dan and Doug go over all the matchups on both sides of the ball, from Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey to the Wildcats' back seven on defense that should be the best the Buckeyes have faced this season. Then Doug is joined by longtime Big Ten football writer Teddy Greenstein, who recently took a job with PointsBet.com after covering Big Ten football for well over two decades. Teddy talks about his career change, the challenges and successes of betting Big Ten football this season, how he thinks Saturday's game will go and the long-term future for Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Buckeyes prepare for the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big Ten will announce its all-conference teams and players of the year beginning Tuesday through Thursday. Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises talk about which Ohio State players will be first-team selections and which deserving players might get overlooked. Nathan also discloses some of the tougher choices on his ballot. First up, though, on this rare Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk -- we take you behind the scenes of one of the long-standing traditions on cleveland.com's Ohio State beat. Every year we prepare for the open locker room at the Big Ten championship game by holding a draft of the players we will interview. These are never the obvious stars of the team, who we have regular access to throughout the year. These are the players who either are not playing much and we want to know why, or are true freshmen poised for bigger roles in the following season. There will be no open locker room after this year's game due to COVID-19, but we held the draft anyway to give you a peek inside how we approach the job and delve into some discussions on out of sight out of mind players. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises kick off Big Ten Championship Game week with a discussion about what the Ohio State Buckeyes need to do against Northwestern in Indianapolis on Saturday to slam the door on the SEC believing it should get a second team in the playoff instead of the Buckeyes getting in there. There's a look at Illinois firing Lovie Smith, a discussion of all the Big Ten matchups this weekend and answers from the text subscribers on whether they'd rather see Ohio State play Northwestern or Michigan on Saturday. Then Nathan and Doug discuss the Northwestern defense, the betting line for this game, whether USC should be ranked higher on Nathan's AP ballot and how they think the final four for the playoff will look a week from now. Will the Buckeyes wind up playing Alabama, Notre Dame or Clemson in a semfinal? Thanks for listening to this Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will not play The Game against Michigan on Saturday due to the Wolverines' coronavirus cases. The Big Ten also apparently could not figure out some other way to get the Buckeyes. The result is maybe the worst weekend of Big Ten football ever, or at least in recent memory. But the Buckeye Talk crew valiantly came together to make their weekly picks. The Buckeyes are playing a "mock game" in practice on Friday. Which OSU offensive and defensive units would have the edge if they went head-to-head in a scrimmage. All of that, plus why Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is such a little weasel. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Thursday Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means step away from the upheaval of this week, with the cancellation of the Michigan game and the Big Ten decision to allow Ohio State to play in the Big Ten Championship Game despite playing only five regular-season games. That's been discussed. So let's do some football talk again. On this pod, Nathan, Doug and Stephen each give their top 10 list of the best Ohio State players this season. Of course Justin Fields is high on that list, but how does someone like defensive tackle Haskell Garrett fit in? How about offensive tackles Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere? Linebackers Pete Werner and Baron Browning? Receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson? Tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Luke Farrell? There's a pretty deep list of guys doing their jobs in 2020, and this episode is all about ranking them, It's a good look at the full roster, so thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We covered our initial reaction to the cancellation of The Game in Tuesday's emergency edition of Buckeye Talk. Now, we delve into YOUR reaction. How did you feel when you heard Ohio State and Michigan would not play for the first time in 103 years? Which of the available options do you want the Big Ten to implement, and which one do you think is most likely? Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discussed all of that. Also, what did Tuesday night's College Football Playoff rankings reveal tell us about where the Buckeyes stand heading into this weekend? Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ohio State-Michigan game is canceled See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michigan's coronavirus cases forced the cancellation of The Game, meaning Ohio State will not play the Wolverines for the first time in 103 years. Doug Lesmerieses, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means cut through all the chaos for their quick reaction to the news and thoughts on what might come next. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday Madness meets The Game. Or does it? We have reached the final week of the regular season, which should mean Ohio State playing Michigan in the Big Ten's biggest rivalry. But the Wolverines may not be able to play due to coronavirus cases. Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises look at the various options available to the Big Ten if Michigan -- and perhaps another team or teams -- cannot play. They also discuss the historic 30-point spread in favor of the Buckeyes and the coming resolution on the what-ifs in the College Football Playoff race. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State beat Michigan State 52-12 on Saturday after missing last week's game because of positive COVID-19 tests. Overall, Ohio State was without 17 scholarship players for various reasons, including three starting offensive linemen and important defenders like Tuf Borland, Tyler Friday and Josh Proctor. Head coach Ryan Day also missed the game because of his positive COVID-19 test. So what did Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means learn about the 5-0 Buckeyes while they were short-handed? On this postgame podcast the topics include the defensive play, the new plan for the secondary, the interim win for Larry Johnson, a bad ABC broadcast, the new offensive line starters, Trey Sermon's big runs and what this all means for the Buckeyes in their playoff positioning. Thanks for listening to this postgame Buckeye Talk Podcast from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our typical Friday picks and preview pod here at Buckeye Talk, but we're expanding it. In a week where the main issue was whether the Buckeyes would even be able to play at Michigan State on Saturday, there wasn't a lot of football analysis. So Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means made their picks for Ohio State vs. the Spartans, but they didn't dwell on it. So they got into other things, led by questions from text subscibers. The main two issues were how Ohio State would fare on the field against other College Football Playoff contenders like Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida, Cincinnati, Clemson, Notre Dame and Alabama. All three guys gave their thoughts on that. Then the question came in from several texters on whether Urban Meyer is a legitimate candidate for the Texas job, and what would happen if he winds up leading the Longhorns. That, of course, was an interesting discussion. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, The Game is on our minds. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means look at where things stand with the Ohio State and Michigan football programs and their COVID-19 cases, and what that might mean for the Ohio State vs. Michigan game scheduled for Dec. 12. A texter survey gave a window into the thoughts of fans on this as Doug, Nathan and Stephen discussed what current rules about COVID-19 the Big Ten might change, if Ohio State could get a different opponent for the last week of the regular season, what Kirk Herbstreit said about Michigan possibly trying to dodge Ohio State, whether the Michigan game or the College Football Playoff is more important to OSU fans, whether the Michigan game should have been played earlier in the season, and if the four-team playoff has made everyone obsessed with the playoff at the expense of everything else in college football. It's an odd, confusing time, but if you're stressed about what's happening with college football, let the podcast take on your stress for two hours. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a preview of the early college football signing period that is two weeks away, as Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises dive into the 2021 Ohio State recruiting class on this Buckeye Talk. With 20 verbal commitments, the Buckeyes have the No. 2-rated class in the nation, behind only Alabama. It features a five-star defensive end, two big-time running back recruits, a five-star quarterback and five recruits ready to rebuild Ohio State's secondary. Who are they? How did they get here? Which players might have roles right away in 2021? And what are the possible positions in 2021 where the Buckeyes will really need young players to step up? Stephen, Nathan and Doug get into all of that, so prepare for a deep dive recruiting episode that also gives a good look ahead to how the overall 2021 roster will shape up. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Buckeyes deal with COVID-19 cases in the football program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness edition of Buckeye Talk, Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means debate how the college football committee will view the Buckeyes as they missed another game. Is Florida gaining on Ohio State when it comes to playoff resume? Plus, how Ohio State handled its weekend COVID news conference; how Alabama and Notre Dame should be ranked; the lingering questions about the OSU pass defense; and what Urban Meyer said about BYU. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ohio State football game at Illinois was canceled on Friday night after the Buckeyes had too many positive tests for coronavirus in the football program. That is the second game the Buckeyes are missing this season, after a previous cancellation because Maryland had positive tests. Nathan Baird made it to Champaign while preparing to cover the game Saturday, while Doug Lesmerises stayed in his basement. After the news that the game was off, they got together for an emergency podcast to discuss why it was canceled, whether next week's game vs. Michigan State will be played, and what this all means for Ohio State's season and playoff chances. Read cleveland.com/osu for continuing updates on the Buckeyes and subscribe to a free trial of text messages for direct info on the team by texting 614-350-3315. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Ohio State vs. Illinois preview from Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means give their picks for the game as COVID hangs over the Big Ten Conference, with Minnesota vs. Wisconsin canceled this week and Ohio State reportedly dealing with positive cases within the program. Make sure you read cleveland.com/osu to stay updated on everything happening with Ohio State football if any news changes. Meanwhile, this should have been Ohio State vs. Michigan week -- so would the Big Ten have been better off keeping the Buckeyes vs. Wolverines in this weekend slot? Plus, who's going to win the showdown between traditional powers in trouble as Penn State and Michigan prepare to play? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means tackle four main areas over two hours. The first College Football Playoff rankings, with Ohio State at No. 4. Why are the Buckeyes behind Clemson, and is it a big deal? The performance of the Ohio State pass rush lately, both what OSU coaches and players said about it and what a rewatch from the Indiana game told us about it. There's a little talk about potential secondary changes in here as well. The latest 5-star verbal commitment for the Buckeyes, Texas receiver Caleb Burton in the Class of 2022. How did the Buckeyes land him and why are their having so much recruiting success in Texas? The Heisman Trophy race and where Justin Fields fits in it. There are five quarterbacks lumped together and how does Fields stack up and what can he do to separate himself? Busy pod, and you'll have two days to listen to it. We'll catch you back with a fresh, full picks and preview pod on Friday. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So much to cover as Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises take a tour of college football on this Monday Madness edition of Buckeye Talk. Among the topics: the Ohio State pass rush, Justin Fields' Heisman standing, whether Indiana or Northwestern is better, why Georgia didn't switch quarterbacks sooner, what's Dabo Swinney's problem with COVID caution, how bad is Nebraska, does Ohio State have anything to fear against Illinois, why won't BYU play Washington, will Notre Dame lose to North Carolina and what will the initial College Football Playoff rankings look like when they're released on Tuesday? Enjoy this Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this postgame Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and Doug Lesmerises are all over No. 3 Ohio State's 42-35 win over No. 9 Indiana. Did you watch it? It was crazy. Ohio State led 35-7 early in the second half, but Justin Fields threw three interceptions and got sacked five times, and Indiana's Michael Penix threw for 491 yards, and ... seriously, just listen to the podcast. It's lit. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Friday Buckeye Talk Podcast started out as one thing and then turned into another thing. As usual, the Friday pod previews Saturday's OSU game, with Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means making their picks on the Buckeyes vs. Indiana in a top-10 matchup and a couple other Big Ten games. It's done in a live Zoom call Thursday evening ... and it got very live. In the midst of the podcast, 5-star recruit Quinn Ewers, the No. 1 quarterback in the Class of 2022, announced his verbal commitment to Ohio State. Suddenly, there was more to preview than just a game. There was a QB future to gaze into. So the pod shifted halfway and started covering both topics -- what's ahead for the Buckeyes on Saturday and what's ahead in the QB room for years to come. Wild pod. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Thursday Buckeye Talk Podcast, things got a little nuts., First, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discussed a text subscriber survey on the 5 types of Ohio State football losses, and which types hurt the most and the league. Intriguing. Then came a look at Wednesday OSU interviews that shed some light on what's up with defensive end Zach Harrison and the freshmen receivers for the Buckeyes. Then was a quick look at possible topics for the next Nonsense Bracket, including Christmas movies, gas station snacks and 80s and 90s sitcoms. Finally came about 10 rapid fire questions on the ceiling of the Ohio State offense, why families can no longer sit in the stands at Ohio Stadium, how to store ketchup, what's happening at LSU and which cereal box character we would be. It got weird, which just means it's another Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and Doug Lesmerises dig in on the Buckeyes' offensive line. They analyze all five offensive line starters using PFF grades and after rewatching the first three games of the season. Plus, what are the running backs doing, or not doing, to help the offensive line look better? This episode is all about Thayer Munford, Harry Miller, Josh Myers, Wyatt Davis and Nicholas Petit-Frere and what they're bringing to the table this season. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Buckeyes are scheduled to host Indiana in a top-10 matchup Saturday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off a week of coverage and analysis of No. 3 Ohio State's home game vs. No. 9 Indiana with the Monday Madness edition of Buckeye Talk. We learned Sunday afternoon that the Buckeyes are favored by three touchdowns in this top-10 matchup. Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises -- demonstrably the worst two line-pickers among the three hosts thus far -- discuss why that number seems about right despite the game's billing. That separation also helps explain why the Big Ten West is the league's better division top-to-bottom right now. With traditional powers Michigan and Penn State a combined 1-7 at the halfway point, teams such as Northwestern, Purdue and Iowa are trying to join Wisconsin as the Big Ten's runners-up in prestige in 2020. Doug and Nathan also banter about their usual Monday Madness topics: the AP Top 25, upcoming storylines for Ohio State and College Football Playoff scenarios. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With no Ohio State game to analyze on Saturday, we could not break with tradition and blow off the postgame pod. So we watched the Buckeyes' next opponent, No. 10 Indiana, beat Michigan State 24-0, and invited our Buckeye Talk text subscribers to help assess the Hoosiers' threat. Indiana receiver Ty Fryfogle had a huge game, and paired with Whop Philyor, the Hoosiers have a pair of playmakers who can challenge Ohio State's still-solidifying secondary. Quarterback Michael Penix, who missed IU's game against OSU last season, has burned multiple defenses early on with his gunslinging ways. However, the Hoosiers have also taken advantage of an abundance of short fields early in the season. Can they consistently drive the field against the Buckeyes? On the other side of the ball, can Indiana's physical defensive backs become the first to successfully match up with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Even if the Hoosiers do that, does that open the door for a big running game for Justin Fields? Again, the question comes down to whether IU can succeed for 70-75 yards per possession. We also discussed a bad day of football overall in the Big Ten and Penn State's continued free-fall to 0-4. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the Friday edition of Buckeye Talk, which normally means predictions for Ohio State's game on Saturday. The Terrapins' coronavirus outbreak forced that game to be cancelled, however. So after picking three other Big Ten games -- where five of the six contests feature road favorites -- we moved on to recap the first half of the Ohio State season. We took Justin Fields out of consideration for Offensive MVP, so truly we and our Buckeye Talk texters were all voting for second place. Does one receiver deserve mention over the other, or is the second-most valuable Buckeye up front? On defense, what seemed like a wide-open field narrowed to two overwhelming winners from our texters. Safe to say neither of them would have garnered much support if we were predicting OSU's defensive MVP before the season. Who is Ohio State's most improved player in 2020, and who is poised for a breakout second half? Also, which player has left us scratching our heads, and what remains our biggest unanswered question about the Buckeyes? This podcast resets our understanding of OSU as the second half begins next Saturday against Indiana. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Thursday Buckeye Talk Podcast from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss the cancellation of the Ohio State-Maryland game on Saturday and what it means for the Buckeyes. It's a difficult discussion at times, as Doug becomes agitated while attempting to outline recent coronavirus cases in counties where Big Ten teams are located, and he curses the debates he is imagining in his head. But the podcast does cover why Maryland canceled the game, what it might mean for the College Football Playoff and how Ohio State's coronavirus situation currently ranks compared to other Big Ten teams. Then, around the hour and three minute mark of this two-hour podcast, Doug, Nathan and Stephen move to more football topics from a text subscriber survey, including Justin Fields' Heisman Trophy chances; the likely OSU starting QB next year; which two players out of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and J.K. Dobbins would most help this team this season; and which team is the most likely to win the Big Ten West. The coronavirus discussion had to happen, but the plan will be to avoid a deep dive like that for the foreseeable future. Thanks for hanging in with Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means address what's happening with some of the most interesting Ohio State players this season, and what Ryan Day might do about it. Shaun Wade was reflective in an interview about how he can play better, so where does the highly talented outside cornerback go from here? How will the running back load be split up between Master Teague and Trey Sermon as the Buckeyes roll forward? Will the interior of the offensive line bounce back after some rough spots last week? What will the safety split between Marcus Hooker and Josh Proctor look like, and could Proctor play more? And could a young corner like Ryan Watts get some reps with some flux in the depth of the secondary? The Buckeyes have some interesting personnel decisions heading into a matchup with Maryland on Saturday, and Doug, Nathan and Stephen covered them all. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State prepares to visit Maryland See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness version of Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises examine whether the four teams for the College Football Playoff might be set if nothing else crazy happens -- and Ohio State would be one of them. They also discuss the wild start in the Big Ten East; how many of the14 Big Ten teams have the right guy as their head coach; potential playoff expansion; how good BYU might be; and whether Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa should make the Ohio State secondary nervous heading into Saturday's matchup. It's a look at the national college football picture, and an early preview of the Buckeyes' next opponent. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this postgame Buckeye Talk Podcast after Ohio State's 49-27 win over Rutgers, the text subscribers had some major questions and Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means tried to come up with answers. The Buckeyes led the Scarlet Knights 35-3 at the half, but things got a little loose after halftime. What issues were one-time things, and what could follow the Buckeyes through the season? Plus, how did Ryan Day react to all of them? Doug, Nathan and Stephen talked about what's really wrong in the secondary; what to make of the run game with Master Teague and Trey Sermon; how the offensive line played; how much of a problem were the Rutgers trick plays; are the defensive ends getting enough pressure; and what does it all mean for Ohio State's standing as a College Football Playoff contender? All that on a very busy postgame Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and former Buckeyes safety Brendon White make their returns to Ohio Stadium on Saturday with Rutgers. Before we gave our score predictions, we answered our Buckeye Talk text subscriber questions about whether White would have improved this OSU defense had he stayed for his final season. While he fell out of the 2019 rotation, would he have a first-string role with Marcus Hooker and Josh Proctor? Then we made our against-the-spread game predictions. Ohio State was favored by only 38 points as of Thursday evening. Why not more? We couldn't figure it out either, though it Gave Some of Us Pause as we made our predictions. Also, we each picked our other Big Ten games ATS. Come back to Buckeye Talk late Saturday night after the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices