Buckeye Talk: Ohio State Podcast By Cleveland.com

We're back with the second installment of Mark It Down Monday. The Buckeye Talk gang of Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means gets specific with a big prediction about the near future of Ohio State football. In what year will the Buckeyes win their next national championship, and who will be the quarterback? Returning Heisman Trophy finalist Justin Fields leading OSU to the 2020 championship may be the obvious answer for some. But are the Buckeyes talented enough on both sides of the ball relative to the national competition? If Ohio State is a couple of years or more away from winning it all, which quarterback will get it done? Two true freshmen are battling to back Fields up in 2020, and another top recruit comes on board for 2021. The Buckeye Talk crew debates the importance of a quarterback in winning the championship and whether Kyle McCord can step in immediately in 2021 and beat out CJ Stroud and Jack Miller to run the show. As always they turn to the subtext subscribers to continue the debat

On this Friday Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com. They talk about Adam's recent ranking of the best head coaching hires and coordinator hires in college football in the last 25 years, and where Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Ryan Day, Kevin Wilson and Tom Herman rank on that list. Also among the topics: Would Ohio State have won the 2015 national title if Herman as stayed on as offensive coordinator? Does Ohio State need to win a national title in the next three years? Will Wilson be hired by another school as a head coach soon? It's a great episode giving some national college football context to Ohio State, so thanks for listening to it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Busy Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means answer six text subscriber questions, and then Nathan and Doug go into the latest from Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith about what a 2020 season might look like with coronavirus restrictions. Among the questions from subscribers are a particular Michigan criticism of Ohio State that really grinds a texter's gears; whether an OSU national title in 2020 would come with an asterisk; whether the basketball program grabbed transfers too early; and whether players returning off the shutdown will be able to play their best. Then it's a healthy discussion about how many fans might be at OSU games in the fall, whether the Oregon game will be played, and what a season of only Big Ten games would look like. 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 planning for what a limited season might look like in 2020 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are joined by Keith Sargeant of NJ.com to talk about Rutgers football and the return of former coach Greg Schiano. This is part of their series previewing Ohio State's 2020 schedule, and the Scarlet Knights are scheduled to be the Big Ten opener in Week 4. Keith talks about how much OSU transfer Brendon White will contribute to the Rutgers defense, whether Schiano is at Rutgers for the long haul, whether Schiano could ever raise that program to the level of a team like Michigan State, and what it would look like if Rutgers ever does beat Ohio State. But before that, Doug, Nathan and Stephen Means take an hour of text subscriber questions on a range of OSU topics, from Jack Miller to Kerry Coombs, from Damon Arnette to Kamryn Babb, and also get into the worst journalism mistakes of their careers. It's another jam-packed Wednesday episode from Buckeye Talk, which is now coming at you five days a week. Thanks for l

Ohio State's linebackers have three veteran starters back, three veteran backups on the second team ... and a wide range of what they could be as a group. On this Buckeye Talk episode, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means take on the first of what will be 11 position group breakdown episodes for the 2020 Buckeyes over the next several weeks. The linebackers are up. They talk about whether the group will be better or worse in 2020, and then what will happen in 2021. They identify strengths and weaknesses, make a crazy prediction each, pick a player they most want to watch and then assign a level of confidence to the group. Plus, Doug gives his three best OSU linebackers over the last 15 years. Also, the podcast got a new logo. Busy times at Buckeye Talk, so thanks for coming along on the ride. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the inaugural "Mark It Down Monday," where the Buckeye Talk crew of Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means put their names on predictions and stances around Ohio State football. First up: How many future Heisman Trophy finalists are on the Buckeyes' 2020 roster? Justin Fields has already been to New York once. Will he return after the coming season? Among the other returnees and incoming freshmen, who will have the combination of talent and opportunity to build a legitimate Heisman campaign? Can another defensive player make a Chase Young-like run? As Ohio State becomes a destination for elite wide receiver classes, could one of them erupt for enough production to pile up votes? This will be our new format to kick off the week during the offseason. As always, we also included our Buckeye Talk subtext subscriber votes and reactions on the pod. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State players and staffers continue to adjust to the coronavirus See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time for more quick-hit debates on Buckeye Talk, as this Friday pod includes seven questions from text subscribers. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss what it would be like if Tate Martell was still Ohio State's quarterback; their lame predictions for this season; whether they would eat kangaroo; if OSU fans should want Maryland to land a 5-star quarterback; how they balance their connection to Cleveland and Columbus; the next OSU assistant to be a head coach; and their pitches for a movie about the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks for the good response to the quick answer podcast on Wednesday. This won't be the new form for Buckeye Talk all the time, but the guys will work this style in on a regular basis to keep things moving. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your day. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buckeye Talk is working its way through Ohio State's 2020 schedule and previewing all 12 games. This week, it's time for the final non-conference game, a Week 3 showdown against MAC opponent Buffalo. So to talk about that game, Doug Lesmerises welcomed Buffalo coach Lance Leipold, who is entering Year 6 with the Bulls. Two years ago, Buffalo won 10 games and last year, the Bulls won the first bowl game in program history. And they have a lot back. So Buffalo again is expected to compete at the top of the Mid-American Conference. Doug and Lance talked about what the Bulls have back on offense and defense, the keys to building a winning program in the MAC and why he left Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he had won six Division III national titles, to take over at Buffalo in 2015. If you care about the teams that Ohio State plays, you'll care about this episode. 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/adchoi

This Buckeye Talk episode is coming at you quickly and in short bursts. To keep this big Wednesday pod light and snappy, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and Doug Lesmerises are debating 20 topics suggested by text subscribers. If you want to help create this podcast, sign up for a text subscription, including a 14-day free trial to test it out, by texting 614-350-3315. The debate was limited on each topic to about five minutes, and then the guys finished off the pod with the next round of voting in the fast food bracket, as they moved through the Round of 32. But this was football heavy. How often should Ohio State be expected to win a national title? Which is the next Big Ten playoff team besides Ohio State? Will the Big Ten expand? Why is Ohio State recruiting in Kentucky this cycle? Will the Buckeyes finish with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2021? What would the guys do if they covered a game in an empty stadium because of coronavirus? What do they think of Jim Harbaugh’s suggestion to let college football pla

On this Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird dive into four different scenarios about what's more likely to happen in the 2020 Ohio State football season, as presented by Stephen Means. No.1 -- Are the Buckeyes more likely to have a player win the award for the best receiver in the nation or best defensive back in the nation? No. 2 -- Are the Buckeyes going to have more All-Americans on offense or defense? No. 3 -- Is Justin Fields more likely to lead the nation in passing touchdowns or the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns? No. 4 -- Are the Buckeyes going to score more touchdowns on defense or more touchdowns on special teams? Stephen, Doug and Nathan debate their answers to those questions, and they appreciate you 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 episode of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises is putting Ohio State's Week 2 non-conference game against Oregon in historical context. Last week, Buckeye Talk previewed everything about the Ducks, who are scheduled to host the Buckeyes on Sept. 12. Now, it's time to compare this matchup against a presumed top-10 opponent to big non-conference games of the past. Notre Dame in the mid-90s. Texas in 2005 and 2006. USC in 2008 and 2009. Oklahoma in 2016 and 2017. What makes Oregon different from those opponents and what makes Oregon similar? It's just Doug for this one, but he's joined by a lot of great thoughts from text subscribers who offered up their most nervous non-conference moments as OSU fans -- and who explained why they aren't as nervous with Urban Meyer and Ryan Day as they were in the past. 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

This Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com is all about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and the two guests joining Doug Lesmerises are writers who understand The Game from both sides. Kyle Rowland and Dave Briggs of The Toledo Blade join Doug to talk about Jim Harbaugh's approach to the rivalry, things he might ever adjust about that approach, what he's like when he's not standing at an interview podium, and if the current trajectory of the Ohio State-Michigan game is ever going to change. Rowland is the Ohio State beat writer for The Blade but covered Michigan for three years, and Briggs writes about both teams as The Blade sports columnist, so they bring perspectives that understand both sides of this. Has Harbaugh been a success or a failure at Michigan? At the end of the pod, everyone discusses whether Urban Meyer underachieved at Ohio State. For fans of the Buckeyes, this is a look at Michigan within the context of Ohio State that you don't want to miss. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast

This Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com features a difficult decision -- which Ohio State quarterback of the last 15 years would you choose for one game, and which would you choose for one season, in this Ryan Day offense? Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means offer their choices in this scenario, and then the text subscribers chime in, as Doug tallies the votes and breaks down their thoughts on all the options -- Troy Smith, Terrelle Pryor, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones, Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields. Who won the vote? Who did Stephen and Doug choose? What would Pryor have been like if Day was his quarterbacks coach? For a huge discussion of recent Ohio State quarterback play, this is your pod. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Buckeyes add an Australian punter to their recruiting class. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Strap in, Ohio State fans, because this one is going to take quite some time. The big Wednesday Buckeye Talk episode this week is just one thing -- a gigantic preview of one of the most intriguing and important non-conference games of the 2020 college football season. Ohio State is scheduled to visit Oregon in Week 2 and cleveland.com is diving into that game as part of the plan to preview every game on the OSU schedule, week by week. They started with Bowling Green last Wednesday, and now they're looking at the game that is planned for Sept. 12, 2020, when the Buckeyes should be playing in Autzen Stadium for the first time since 1967, when the Buckeyes visited Oregon to play what was then just the second game ever in the brand new campus stadium in Eugene. Ohio State is 9-0 vs. Oregon, with six wins in Columbus and the last two wins in memorable national showdowns -- in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2010, and in the National Championship Game of the first College Football Playoff on Jan. 12, 2015. In most early

ESPN’s preseason rating of teams, the Football Power Index, has Wisconsin with the fourth-best chance to make the College Football Playoff right now, behind Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama. While it’s early, and that’s a computer model that relies a lot on the previous year’s performance, and while the world is dealing with a pandemic ... Doug Lesmerises just can’t see something like that about Wisconsin and let it sit. So ... this Buckeye Talk episode includes a lot of ranting. Stephen Means and Doug discuss the Badgers as a playoff contender, whether they could beat Ohio State in a Big Ten Championship Game, whether they could get in with a Big Ten title game loss, what type of season it would take for two Big Ten teams to make the playoff, and what kind of quarterback play is required these days to be a real playoff contender. Michigan State made the playoff in 2015 ... does that mean Wisconsin could do it, too, or does that blowout Michigan State suffered in the playoff hurt Wisconsin’s chances with the p

If you could take one player off another 2020 college football team and add him to Ohio State for this season, which player would it be? On this Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and Doug Lesmerises answer that question, and then text subscribers jump in with their choices. Would it be a cornerback? A running back? A linebacker? A pass rusher? Would it come from a regular-season foe that might miss the player that the Buckeyes were stealing, like Penn State, Oregon or Michigan? Or would it be best to cripple a national title contender like Clemson or Alabama? A lot of names are chosen and various strategies employed, and potential OSU weaknesses examined. Then, it's part two of the fast food bracket that the guys started on Friday. There's voting on another 16 matchups of fast food and fast casual restaurants, including Five Guys, Taco Bell, In-N-Out and Swenson's. And there's plenty of disagreement. It's about two-thirds football talk and one-third fast food talk, which mak

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, they're slowing it down a bit. First, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird kick things off with a quick check on the latest Ohio State football recruit, as the Buckeyes added a verbal commitment from C.J. Hicks in the Class of 2022 on Friday. But then the guys take a breath, as Stephen Means jumps in and they partially work their way through an NCAA-style bracket about fast food and fast casual restaurants, voting on matchups involving Chick-fi-A, McDonald's, Burger King, Panera Bread, Sbarro and many more. It was time for a little nonsense after some heavy football talk the last few weeks. Finally, a special guest joins the pod, as 13-year-old Ohio State football fan and Buckeye Talk fan Benjy Pastor jumps on to help celebrate his bar mitzvah and the guys criticize his affection for Skyline Chili. All in all, a pretty typical Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic