Buckeye Talk: Ohio State Podcast By Cleveland.com

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

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 p

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.

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 foo

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 an

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