Why C.J. Stroud is Still Ohio State's Starting Quarterback and Rutgers is A Real Opponent This Year
We discuss why the Akron game didn't change C.J. Stroud's standing as Ohio State's starting quarterback, the impact of losing two veteran linebackers in one week after K'Vaughan Pope's dismissal and why Rutgers can't be dismissed as an easy opponent this
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Show Notes
Although Ohio State's 59-7 win over Akron wasn't competitive, the game didn't lack for interesting storylines.
It was our first opportunity to watch Kyle McCord and Jack Miller throw passes for the Buckeyes, and that's where we begin this week's episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, as we discuss what we saw from McCord and Miller and why their performances weren't enough to change Ryan Day's mind on who should start at quarterback.
The other big story from Saturday night's game was K'Vaughan Pope's sideline outburst and subsequent dismissal from the team, and we discuss how we saw that unfold and the impact of Ohio State losing two senior linebackers in one week, beginning at the 21:30 mark.
We also talk about why Ohio State's defensive depth chart still isn't quite settled (37:55), how Ohio State's interior pass rush stepped up but it still needs more from its defensive ends (41:12) and which true freshmen caught our eye against Akron (45:56).
Beginning at 48:22, we look ahead to this week's game against Rutgers and discuss why we believe this will be Ohio State's most competitive game against the Scarlet Knights yet, although we do believe Rutgers’ weakness (offense) will play into Ohio State’s strength.
We also answer a variety of miscellaneous questions from Real Pod Wednesdays (beginning at 58:52), including why this season is still about the present rather than the future, our honest expectations for the rest of the year, what makes the Ohio State beat unique, whether the Buckeyes should have done more to utilize Jameson Williams and which condiments belong on a hot dog.