Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Latest Episodes:

Some Kirk Ferentz talk, plus Ohio State's offensive line, Jim Knowles is underpaid and a Penn State Halloween party: Rants Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

The rants are late this week, and for that Doug Lesmerises apologizes. But they are here, with Ohio State text subscribers sending in great thoughts to ponder. The topics:

The importance of the Ohio State offensive line and sticking with the run game
An Ohio State fan at a Penn State Halloween party
Letting a kid pick his or her favorite team, and will Bama still be good in 10 years?
Was Ohio State slow to change the offensive game plan against Iowa?
How great was the Jim Knowles hire?
Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt
Rapid rants, including standing at games and souffles
C.J. Stroud
Corey Dennis
Kirk Ferentz and what Doug thought of his multi-day arc with the Iowa coach

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Julian Fleming's role, hot players, staff improvements and the brotherhood: Ohio State rapid fire Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

On this Wednesday episode, we're switching it up. Instead of Ohio State rants (which will come your way Thursday), this is a rapid fire Q&A with Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means taking questions from text subscribers.

In order:

(0:30) The 2023 OSU schedule

(7:30) Julian Fleming and his role this season

(18:05) OSU players that could get hot down the stretch

(23:43) How the coaching staff could improve

(32:16) Backing in to parking spaces

(41:13) How much the idea of the brotherhood affects Ohio State's performance on the field

That last one went long, so it wasn't very rapid. But thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Rants back tomorrow.

Will Ohio State dominate every remaining pass defense? And out of control head coach power Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are back to break it down.

First, a look at the opposing pass defenses that the Ohio State Buckeyes could face in their quest for a national title. How might Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Clemson and Michigan fare in trying to slow down C.J. Stroud? Plus, a second look at how Iowa defended the Buckeyes, and an answer to whether the Ohio State offense is the best unit in the nation.

Then (47:53), based off Doug's column on Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, the discussion turns to when head coaches have too much power in college football and what can be done about it.

Finally (1:03:11), it's Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eatin', Whatcha Thinkin', covering, among other things, an inaugural visit to The Cheesecake Factory and Doug's evolution as an athlete.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Ohio State beats Iowa postgame: Offense tested, while defense dominates sad sack Hawkeyes Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

On this postgame Buckeye Talk from Ohio State's 54-10 win over Iowa in Ohio Stadium, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are breaking down how the OSU passing game got it rolling late and how the OSU defense smothered Iowa's desultory offense all game.

First, the guys look at C.J. Stroud and how he played almost two different games. The Iowa defense provided a real test early, but the passing game broke it open late. What part of the game told you more?

Then (28:41), the guys talk about the return of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, which didn't last all that long. Also, the Ohio State running game never got going against the Hawkeyes -- does that matter?

Finally (57:10), it's a look at the dominating day for the Ohio State defense against the stumbling Iowa offense. Can the defense carry the Buckeyes when needed? And could Penn State next week be a version of Iowa, but tougher?

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

The offenses for Ohio State and Iowa are such opposites, the betting line for this game is weird: Betting the Buckeyes Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

On this episode of Betting the Buckeyes on Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker start with a discussion of the gap between the offensive outputs of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Iowa Hawkeyes this season, and what that means for the gambling perspective of Saturday’s Ohio State-Iowa matchup.

TSHoe, as always, has a suggested Ohio State bet for that one.

Then it’s onto five picks from each of them, one each in the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and Big Ten. Doug is working out a theory this week -- nervous team unders. He picks out some overachieving teams playing big games and finds some bets to make on the under. Tyler, meanwhile, is letting the math lead his picks, including some more first-quarter bets where he’s been digging in to find more of an edge lately.

Then it’s the Underdog Pick of the Week, plus Tyler’s three best bets. And finally, the weekly tidbit of sports betting advice.

Thanks for listening to Betting the Buckeyes on Buckeye Talk.

Ohio State-Iowa preview and picks: Buckeyes' passing attack vs. Hawkeyes' nepotism Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are previewing Ohio State vs. Iowa on Saturday.

First, Doug is joined by John Steppe of the Cedar Rapids Gazette to break down what Iowa does pretty well and what Iowa does very poorly.

Then (25:47), Doug, Nathan and Stephen talk about the most interesting things learned from Buckeyes like C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr. and J.T. Tuimoloau this week.

Then (54:58), the guys make their picks for the game, with Ohio State favored by 29.5.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Ohio State recruiting rapid fire: Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs, Matayo Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn and more: Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are answering questions about Ohio State football recruiting from text subscribers.

Among the topics covered:

Is there any chance Tennessee flips OSU receiver commit Carnell Tate?
Which defensive line recruits from Damon Wilson, Matayo Uiagalelei and Keon Keeley might the Buckeyes land?
Could Ohio State flip safety recruit Caleb Downs back from Alabama?
What are the prospects for OSU 2023 QB recruit Brock Glenn?
How might the increasing success of teams like USC, Texas and Tennessee affect Ohio State recruiting?
Is there a personal relationship that might help safeties coach Perry Eliano land a 5-star?
And much more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

Jim Knowles' Tennessee plan; beware the angry Buckeyes; ranked wins; and Iowa scars: Ohio State football rants Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is again taking rants from Ohio State text subscribers. Topics covered, in order:

Iowa scars and what the Buckeyes should expect vs. the Hawkeyes
Ohio State's history of successful revenge
How wins over ranked teams should be counted
Giving Emeka Egbuka credit
Why passing is the way to win
Comparing Ohio State's history of NFL QBs to other programs
How Ohio State should view Tennessee, and what Jim Knowles thinks of the Vols' offense
Rapid rants, from cold baseball to nugget sauce
C.J. Stroud and the Heisman race
Is Michigan overrated or should the Wolverines be respected?

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

Could Ohio State and Michigan both make the College Football Playoff? Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

On this Monday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are celebrating a wild weekend of college football that didn't include the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were off.

After several unbeaten teams lost, including Alabama, Doug and Nathan each give their projected four-team playoff bracket for the first time this season. Could both Ohio State and Michigan make the playoff if they're 11-0 when they meet? Doug and Nathan outline all the possibilities there.

At 27:45, they start to reveal their playoff brackets. At 42:20, they discuss the offenses that impressed Saturday and whether they could give the OSU defense trouble. Then there's a Heisman Troop discussion around C.J. Stroud.

In the final segment (59:46), it's Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eaten', Whatcha Thinking'?

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Reranking Ohio State football’s 25 best players at the halfway point Oct 15, 2022

Show notes

On this weekend Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are taking another look at the Ohio State football roster while the Buckeyes are off and splitting their regular season in half. They have six regular-season games to go, and they have collected six wins, thanks in large part to the skills of these 25 players.

In the preseason, Doug, Nathan and Stephen did a ranking of the OSU roster. Each of them assigned a value between 1 and 20 points for a player’s value to the team and another value of between 1 and 20 points for the player’s rare talent. Then the text subscribers (sign up for a two-week free trial at 614-350-3315) rated all the players on a 1 to 10 scale for a Q rating -- how good they think the player is and how much they like him.

The result was a 50-point rating for each player, and a top 25 list of the Ohio State football players with the most influence. And six games in, everyone did it again.

Four players dropped out of the top 25 and four players moved in. Several players moved up or down by more than 10 spots. All of that is detailed on Buckeye Talk to get you through the weekend until the preview of Ohio State-Iowa begins next week.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk

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