It's the in-season Monday episode on Buckeye Talk and this is the plan this season as Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird will bring you this pod each Monday. Part 1 is Ohio State; Part 2 is national college football, Michigan and OSU in context; and Part 3 is Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eatin', Whatcha Thinkin'? Part 1 in this episode looks at how many explosive plays Ohio State made compared to last year and discusses the Buckeyes defending their Kings of The North title. Part 2 looks a bit at Georgia and Alabama, how Nathan will vote the Buckeyes compared to those two teams on his AP ballot, and what's up with Michigan. Part 3 is bean fields, Urkel, sisters and keys in electric sockets. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the first Ohio State football postgame pod of the 2022 season, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means break down the Buckeyes' 21-10 win over Notre Dame on Saturday night in Ohio Stadium. It's late. You know how postgame pods work, right? They talk about what happened in the game and what it means? You get it. Enjoy this weekend Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're trying something new on Buckeye Talk. We're not taking anything away, but we're adding something extra to the mix. That's this weekly gambling show on Buckeye Talk called Betting the Buckeyes, and it brings in old friend Tyler Shoemaker as the official gambling expert for Buckeye Talk. He'll be here every Friday on this preview show with Doug Lesmerises to do three things: Offer a gambling perspective on the OSU game, since Tyler is an OSU fan who understands balancing your heart and your money. Make a gambling pick in each Power 5 conference, and Doug will do the same as they square off in a classic showdown of Smart vs. Not So Smart. Offer best bets with the Upset of The Week, and some other best bets from around the country. It's something new and fun in the Buckeye Talk feed as many states have legalized sports betting and Ohio prepares to do so on Jan. 1. If you gamble on college football, or if you are thinking you might want to try, this pod will appeal to you. If you don't have any interest in gambling, but you still like Ohio State and college football, there's some discussion in here that will interest you. The breakdown this week: Intro to 12:43: Breaking down the betting lines on Ohio State-Notre Dame, and Tyler offering a bet for the game that he likes the best. 12:43 to 21:39: How Tyler got into gambling and what's his method and success rate with his system. 21:39 to 35:27: Doug and Tyler each make a pick on a game in the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC, SEC and Big 12. 35:27 to 45:11: Tyler gives his Upset of the Week and gets in the weeds to make some other under-the-radar picks he likes the best. 45:11 to end: Don't bet over your head. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk and thanks for giving this new episode a try. See you back for Betting the Buckeyes next Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are here to break down Saturday night's matchup between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Notre Dame and make their picks for the Buckeyes vs. the Fighting Irish. A separate pod on Friday with Doug and Tyler Shoemaker will discuss the OSU-ND game from a gambling perspective, and also make some picks from around the country. But here, this is the lineup: Start to 5:30: An OSU injury update 5:30 to 11:20: C.J. Stroud gave his teammates a gift 11:20 to 17:09: Where Ohio State ranks in the national composite of roster talent 17:09 to 22:18: 3 Buckeyes to watch 22:18 to 35:30: The Notre Dame offense vs. the Ohio State defense 35:30 to 41:02: The Ohio State offense vs. the Notre Dame defense 41:02 to end: Game picks Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Don't miss the postgame pod late after the game Saturday or early Sunday morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Thursday Buckeye Talk is a rapid fire and a news update to get you ready for the Ohio State-Notre Dame opener on Saturday night. The last 15 minutes of the episode, starting at the 1:27:06 mark, is an update from Wednesday night interviews with Ohio State players, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means provide updates on what they saw and learned. But most of the pod is rapid fire answers to rapid fire questions from OSU text subscribers. In order, the topics are: What's the play call the first time the Buckeyes are in a third-and-2 Saturday? How big of a recruiting night will Saturday be? Discussing OSU as a playoff No. 1 seed and No. 1 team in the AP poll Are Ohio State's history of home non-conference losses a concern How could C.J. Stroud seize Heisman Trophy momentum Could the Buckeyes go, egads, 9-3? What's our view on white pizza? A possible explanation for why Ohio State has three kickers Ohio State's lingering red-zone issues, how much must they improve? How do we rate Ohio State's chances of winning a title in the next five years? It's a great discussion thanks to great questions from texters. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises is looking for a name for what this in-season episode is likely to be each Wednesday -- Doug and the Ohio State text subscribers combining to offer 10 rants and takes on the Buckeyes and what matters most with the football team. For this first effort, here were the 10 topics covered, in order: A Lathan Ransom breakout What Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer will do vs. the Buckeyes Should Jim Tressel dot the i? When C.J. Hicks should start at linebacker If a lack of cornerback depth will cost Ohio State a shot at a title How often Ohio State should play Notre Dame Whether the Buckeyes need to get four sacks Saturday Ryan Day seeing an edge in his team Whether Day will pass Nick Saban as the best coach in college football Is the defense overrated or underrated and who are its playmakers? We'll continue to work out (and eventually name) this format. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means attack a topic they've been talking around for years -- the idea of the Ohio State Buckeyes as The Kings of The North of college football. What does that mean? How did it happen? And will it continue? In the first segment through the 26:23 mark, Doug explains his first part of the series, how Ohio State is the only Northern team to win a national title this century, but Notre Dame, Michigan and Cincinnati may all be on the upswing. In the second segment, from 26:23 to 47:23, Nathan explains the database of regional recruiting data he helped create, and what those numbers show about Ohio State's success in bringing recruits from the South and Southwest to retain their Northern supremacy. In the third segment, from 47:23 until the end, Stephen looks at the recruiting battles ahead, talking teams like Penn State and Iowa, but especially Notre Dame, when it comes to schools challenging the Buckeyes in their backyard and going out into the world as other Northern draws for recruits from other regions. You kind of have to listen to this pod or read the three-part series at cleveland.com to get the idea here. It's a theory, with some numbers and reporting to back it up. And with Ohio State hosting Notre Dame on Tuesday, it was time to finally do this. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2022 college football season is here, and Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are making their playoff picks on the final Mark It Down Monday before the Ohio State Buckeyes open the season against Notre Dame on Saturday. In this episode of Buckeye Talk, Doug, Nathan and Stephen start by sharing what they think will happen with Buckeyes. Will they make the playoff? And if so, what will their seed be? Then it's on to sharing all four of their playoff teams. And finally, they pick their College Football National Champions. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your week, and don't forget to read cleveland.com/osu for even more Ohio State football coverage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises finishes his offseason project that was designed to arrive at a final percent chance of the Ohio State Buckeyes going undefeated during the 2022 regular season. To discuss those numbers, Doug is first joined by Tyler Shoemaker, the officially unofficial bookmaker of Buckeye Talk who shares his own numbers on the chances of the Buckeyes winning each game and then getting 12-0. Then Nathan Baird and Stephen Means join to go through all 12 games, agree or disagree on Doug's percent chance on each game, and discuss the final undefeated number. There's also a quick lesson on the undefeated history of the Buckeyes over the last 70 years and of other teams in the playoff era. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking Ohio State receivers. Wednesday night, Brian Hartline and the OSU receivers met with reporters, and all of that is covered on this episode. The topics discussed went in this order: Start to 11:02: Jaxon Smith-Njigba 11:02 to 24;25: Marvin Harrison Jr. 24:25 to 35:23: The WR rotation 35:23 to 37:37: Emeka Egbuka 37:37 to 47:27: Julian Fleming 47:27 to 56:42: Special teams 56:42 to the end: Jayden Ballard Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dive into their interviews Tuesday with cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, safeties coach Perry Eliano and several OSU cornerbacks and safeties. The start of the pod through the 22:12 mark focuses on cornerbacks. Then from 22:12 to 44:38, the focus is on safeties. And then from 44:38 to the end of the pod, the discussion is Doug's obsession with Kourt Williams. How is the top-end talent in the secondary? How is the depth? How is the health? Get all that and more on the latest Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the final opponent preview podcast of the preseason, as it's time to talk The Game. For this episode of Buckeye Talk on the 12th game of Ohio State's season, Doug Lesmerises doesn't have an opposing team beat writer as his co-host -- he has the Buckeye Talk text subscribers. Doug sent a lengthy survey out to texters, and on this pod he runs through the answers and reads interesting takes on the game. How good will Michigan's defense be without Aidan Hutchinson? How intense are rivalry feelings for OSU fans right now? And, most importantly, at the end, there's a discussion of whether this game qualifies as a must-win for the Ohio State football program and Ryan Day. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another Mark It Down Monday, and as the 2022 college football season draws near, it's time for Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means to check in with some major predictions. In this episode, it's the Heisman Trophy. And the major question is whether Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud will win it. The pod starts with a discussion of the history of Ohio State and the Heisman, and some Buckeyes who have finished higher up in the voting since Troy Smith brought home Ohio State's last trophy in 2006. Then Nathan, Doug and Stephen each mark down their top three players for the award. At the end of the season, Heisman voters pick a top three, and this is prediction of what that will look like. Stroud is discussed at length. But there's another Ohio State player that also appears on one of the ballots. Thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

C.J. Stroud said Thursday he feels stronger and healthier entering his second season as Ohio State's starting quarterback. He also dropped the intriguing nugget that he is faster than he's ever been in his life. Does that mean the Heisman Trophy finalist will make more plays with his feet in the season ahead? Well, probably not, and Nathan and Stephen discussed what a little extra speed might truly mean for OSU's quarterback in 2022. Also, Kyle McCord is excited about the progress he has made and is preparing as if he must start the next game. Freshman Devin Brown is still catching up to the speed of the game. All of that and more from the three scholarship QBs and assistant coach Corey Dennis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, news changed the plan. The Big Ten announced its new TV deal Thursday morning, and Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are here to react to it First up is that initial discussion with Doug and Nathan on what the deal means, from the start of the show until the 18:55 mark. Then Doug comes back to comment on what Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had to say about the new deal. That goes from 18:55 to 29:03. And then Doug reveals the answers to a texter survey on the new deal and networks, which goes until the end of the show. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football's deep and talented defensive line sat down for their preseason camp interviews Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. But a development on the other side of the ball dominated the day's conversation. Evan Pryor was expected to have at the least an enlightening redshirt freshman season. He showed some of his growth in the spring game and by many accounts was having a strong camp. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury Monday. Nathan and Stephen discuss the ramifications and what the Buckeyes will and won't do in response. On the defensive side, we gathered Larry Johnson's reaction to retirement rumors, Mike Hall's big camp, where Tyleik Williams must improve and more about the tackles. We also learned who has been training the most at the Jack and some details on the fluctuating body sizes of Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are running through a lot about Ohio State football, and a little about life: 2:00 -- The AP poll, and where Nathan voted the Buckeyes, and what voting is like 17:19 -- Kam Babb picked to wear the Block O jersey 22:36 -- Ohio State named six captains 31:10 -- More on Nathan's bus guy, Mike Hall 32:50 -- What offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said about his future 39:05 -- How Wilson said the run game is looking so far this preseason 46:50 -- Cade Stover, Mitch Rossi as the top tight ends 55:12 -- What Doug and Nathan are Watchin' 1:00:09 -- What Doug and Nathan are Eatin' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This a big, beefy Mark It Down Monday, with Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means making stat predictions for all the things that matter in the 2022 Ohio State football season. Forcing a pick on numbers is a great way to zero in on your thoughts on the team, and that happens over and over again in this pod. Here are the stat topics discussed and when they come up on the podcast: C.J. Stroud passing yards (9:08) Jaxon Smith-Njigba receiving yards (25:00) TreVeyon Henderson rushing yards (37:00) Marvin Harrison Jr. touchdown catches (51:30) Evan Pryor or Miyan Williams, who has more yards? (1:00:37) Julian Fleming or Emeka Egbuka more yards? (1:05:01) Cade Stover receptions (1:06:01) Egbuka punt return touchdowns (1:10:05) Defensive ends playing the most snaps (1:12:19) Defensive tackles playing the most snaps (1:14:16) Leader in sacks (1:16:53) Leader in tackles (1:22:21) Leader in interceptions (1;28:12) This was a fun pod to record, hopefully it's just as fun to listen to. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are eager to share what they learned after watching Ohio State's full practice Thursday, which is a rare treat on the OSU beat. First, you get to gather first-hand info about depth charts and position groups. Second, you get to watch a bunch of football. All of that is good. So this pod is running through every position group with who the starters and backups look like, which guys might have popped, and where are the Buckeyes deep or maybe a little short. In order, the discussions are: 6:36 -- Cornerbacks 12:29 -- Safeties 17:30 -- Linebackers 26:20 -- Defensive line 38:14 -- Receivers 49:10 -- Tight ends 55:30 -- Running backs 56:55 -- Special teams 59:43 -- Offensive line 1:05:18 -- Quarterback Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, it's time to get on the bus. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and the text subscribers offer up the Ohio State football players they believe in the most for the 2022 season. Which players will pop? Which backups will earn more playing time? Which good players will be great? Which great players will become legends? That's the question, and the text subscribers answered that in a poll that gave then 34 players as choices and asked them to pick one player they believe in more than most fans, one guy for whom they are driving the bus. Doug, Nathan and Stephen then used that poll to work through almost all the bus driving options on the roster. They each gave their bus picks. The read comments from texters about why they picked certain players. And they led up to a top 10, and then the No. 1 choice, for the most popular OSU bus players this season. The whole episode is the bus, so there's no way to give real time stamps here. It's all football. It's almost every Buckeye that matters. And it's bus driving time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are coming off interviews with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and five Ohio State linebackers, and there's a lot to discuss. Among the topics covered: Start to 17:30 -- An injury at cornerback and the effect it could have 17:30 to 28:44 -- A role for Kourt Williams? 28:44 to 31:24 -- Crypto in a convenience store 31:24 to 38:48 -- The defensive line mix 38:48 to 41:14 -- The starting linebackers 41:14 to 48:30 -- Freshman safety Sonny Styles 48:30 to 55:35 -- The 2018 recruiting class 55:35 to 1:03:55 -- Middle linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Simon 1:03:55 to 1:11:16 -- Will linebackers Steele Chambers and Chip Trayanum 1:11:16 to End -- Knowles wants a top-5 defense Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking offensive line after meeting with eight Ohio State offensive linemen and Buckeyes' offensive line coach Justin Frye on Monday. The topics on this episode include: Start to 3:20: Ohio State's ranking in the preseason coaches poll 3:20 to 11:18: The Buckeyes who made PFF's preseason All-Big Ten team 11:18 to 23:23: Frye, the first-year OL coach 23:23 to 39:59: Starting tackles Dawand Jones and Paris Johnson Jr. 39:59 to 44:52: Starting center Luke Wypler 44:52 to 54:53: Starting guards Donovan Jackson and Matthew Jones 54:53 to the end: The backup offensive linemen, especially Josh Fryar and Zen Michalski Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Mark it Down Monday, and Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are picking the Ohio State football players they think will be first-team All-Americans this season and earn trees in Buckeye Grove. But first, they discuss check-in at the Ohio State team hotel on Sunday night and what some players wore. Then (8:59), a discussion begins about the latest Ohio State basketball recruiting commitment, which leads into a debate over whether the OSU football team or basketball team will finish with a higher-rated recruiting class for 2023. Both are currently No. 3. Then, Doug has an idea (24:20) to expand Buckeye Grove to include quarterbacks who weren't first-team All-Americans, but did finish in the top 5 of the Heisman Trophy voting. After that, the discussion about offensive skill players who could be All-Americans begins (35:40.) Then the debate moves on to the offensive line (57:54). And then the podcast wraps up (1:09:45) by looking at which defensive players, if any, have the best All-American chances. This Buckeye Talk gets into a lot, but it's smooth. As always, thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, it's time to talk running backs. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means watched a part of the second practice of Ohio State's preseason Friday and then talked to members of Ohio State's running backs room. That meant assistant coach Tony Alford and backs TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, Evan Pryor and Dallan Hayden. Covered on this episode: How much better might Henderson be as a sophomore? What might Williams as the complementary power back look like? How will the Buckeyes figure out the Williams-Pryor rotation behind Henderson? What's Hayden like? What got Alford fired up Friday? How did the Buckeyes really run the ball last year? What will be the balance in playing younger defensive players this season? And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dig into the first day of Ohio State football preseason camp. The Buckeyes practiced Thursday morning, and Doug, Nathan and Stephen were there to watch, react and then ask Ryan Day about it. Topics covered in this episode include: Who looked like the starters at every position in drills? What's the word on the backup offensive line? A linebacker who might have a bigger role than expected A kicker on the move? The breakdown at the safety position A revelation about WR Julian Fleming Day reacts to his top-10 defense comment And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird look at recruiting home runs. By their definition, those are roughly top-100 national recruits that aren't from Ohio and don't have pre-existing ties to Ohio State. These are national recruiting battles where the Buckeyes go and win, beating the best teams in the country for the best players in the country. How many home runs are the Buckeyes hitting under Ryan Day compared to Urban Meyer? How many of the recent home runs are at quarterback or receiver compared to other positions? How many are on defense, and how might the Buckeyes hit more home runs on that side of the ball? Doug, Stephen and Nathan dig into all of that, plus the flip of 2023 tight end Ty Lockwood from Ohio State to Alabama. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since Thursday, Ohio State football saw targets commit to Alabama and UCF, saw one member of its 2023 class decommit, and also landed the quarterback it needed for the class. Oh, and the class of 2025 is officially underway with the commitment of Jontae Gilbert. Stephen and Nathan discuss that four-day stretch and try to put it in context. Also, they look ahead to Thursday's first practice and, more importantly, the expected window of time that will be open to reporters. What will we have our eyes on when we have our first chance to watch the Buckeyes since the spring? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk, and it's getting very specific about Ohio State's opener against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. Who will start for the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball in that game? This is a way for Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means to talk about the Ohio State position battles, as preseason camp prepares to start this week. But it also puts them on the spot for a prediction: Name the 11 players who will take the first snap on offense and the 11 who will take the first snap on defense. This is a good exercise to run through the entire roster before practice starts. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday edition of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises visits with former Big Ten sportswriter Teddy Greenstein, who now is a senior editor at PointsBet, to talk about three college football topics: Betting on Ohio State and the Big Ten this season, and the future of legalized betting in Ohio The development of high school QBs and Teddy's new book, "Quarterback Dads" How the Big Ten reached this position of strength in college football and how much former commissioner Jim Delany helped lay the foundation These are three areas that should interest Buckeye fans, and as always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football's recent string of runner-up finishes for top defensive prospects have jarred some fans' confidence in the program's recruiting efforts. Each of those decisions, though, involved an individual player considering his own unique needs and preferences. When you add them up, how much do they actually affect the team the Buckeyes will put on the field in the future. Doug, Nathan and Stephen broke down the potential 2024 roster and simply asked if each position group was national championship caliber. The results were somewhat surprising, with more strength than expected at some positions but major questions lingering with some of the most important groups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State coach Ryan Day put a number on how much improvement he expects from his defense under new coordinator Jim Knowles this season. Day said the standard is a top-10 performance, and regardless of what measurement you use, that is a big jump for a defense that limped through 2021. Doug, Nathan and Stephen discussed whether that is a realistic goal for the coming season and what that sort of turnaround would look like. Also, what we learned from C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ronnie Hickman as they took their turns at the mic before Big Ten Media Days wrapped up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are reporting from Big Ten media days in Indianapolis. Tuesday, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and half the league's coaches and featured players spoke, but it was kind of the boring half. No Ohio State, no Wisconsin, no Penn State, no Michigan State. That meant the focus was on what Warren said about the future of the league, and what Jim Harbaugh and Michigan players said about the Wolverines after they beat Ohio State, won the Big Ten and reached the College Football Playoff last season. First, the guys talk Harbaugh. They they talk Warren. Then they talk what to expect when Ryan Day and the Buckeyes talk Wednesday. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Mark It Down Monday edition of Buckeye Talk, Nathan Baird, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are marking down their Big Ten predictions for the season and unveiling the results of the 12th annual cleveland.com preseason Big Ten poll. Thirty-six reporters from around the Big Ten voted in the poll, picking the order of finish in both the East and West Divisions, the Big Ten champion and the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. The guys discuss the overall voting in all those areas while also revealing their personal ballots. This is all a buildup to Big Ten Media Days, which start on Tuesday. Cleveland.com will be there, and cleveland.com continues to produce the most official preseason poll for the league. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Friday rapid fire Buckeye Talk to wrap up the offseason as the Big Ten prepares to host its media days next week. Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird take more than 15 questions from text subscribers, with topics including: Whether a national title would make Ryan Day more or less likely to stay at Ohio State long-term Recent recruiting misses and what it means for coaches like Jim Knowles, Tony Alford and Justin Frye If Ohio State might be voted the No. 1 team in the country with a Week 1 blowout of Notre Dame Predicting if and when Notre Dame will join the Big Ten How a big J.T. Tuimoloau year might affect Ohio State's title chances What will there be more of over the next three years -- Ohio State national titles or Ohio State losses to Michigan? And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the 11th game of the Ohio State season to be previewed here on Buckeye Talk, and Maryland football is about as interesting as it has ever been in the Big Ten. On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Ahmed Ghafir, the founder of Insidetheblackandgold.net, joins Doug Lesmerises to talk about Maryland football, which features one of the best QBs in the Big Ten (Taulia Tagovailoa) and two of the better receivers (Dontay Demus Jr. and Rakim Jarrett). That offensive firepower could challenge a lot of teams in the Big Ten -- if the defense is just good enough to let the Terrapins hang around. The matchup will be Nov.19 at Maryland. Since Ohio State's trip there in 2020 was canceled because of the pandemic, the Buckeyes haven't visited College Park since 2018, when they barely escaped with a 52-51 win. Eleven previews down and one to go -- thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means (with the help of the Ohio State text subscribrers) created a list of the 25 Most Influential Ohio State players for 2022, and this is the fourth and final podcast discussing those players. The first pod dealt with players 25 through 17, the next with players 16 through 11, the next with players 10 through 5, and now on this Wednesday episode, it's the top four. And of course, quarterback C.J. Stroud is among them. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are talking desire and meatloaf. Sports Illustrated created desirability ratings for college football conference purposes last week, and Ohio State was No. 1 on the list. Doug and Nathan discuss that rating. Then in the second part of the episode, they draft a top 21 of all the Power 5 programs in the country when it goes to their desirability as a conference member. Finally, it's another Watcha Watchin', Watcha Eatin' as Doug and Nathan catch up on TV and food. Thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football enters the season as a national championship contender in most estimations. But the sports books have only set the Buckeyes' over/under win total at 10.5 as preseason approaches. Why is that, and is OSU a virtual lock at that number? We brought on Buckeye Talk's favorite betting numbers guy Tyler Shoemaker to discuss whether OSU is a smart bet. We also used this Mark It Down Monday to each make five over/under win total picks from around college football. Is Doug down on Wisconsin again this year? Has Nathan come around on Cincinnati? Which national power does T-Shoe see as a sneaky playoff bet? This episode is loaded with futures betting talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk episode, it's the third installment of the top 25 Most Influential Ohio State football players for the 2022 season. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means previously covered players 25 through 17, and players 16 through 11, in two earlier episodes. Now it's players 10 through five, and it's heavy on young guys. Five of the six players discussed in this episode are second-year Buckeyes from the 2021 recruiting class. There's one more influential pod ahead next week, but for now, thanks for listening to this Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The preview of Ohio State opponents for the 2022 football season continues with the Indiana Hoosiers, who will visit on Ohio Stadium on Nov. 12. That will be the 10th game of the season for the Buckeyes, and it may not be very competitive. Indiana is coming off a 2021 season that started with a lot of hope and ended with a 0-9 Big Ten record. The two coordinators changed, quarterback Michael Penix transferred, a lot of players were added in the transfer portal, and this is a new version of the Hoosiers who will try to rebound. Will it work? Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star joins Buckeye Talk to talk with Doug Lesmerises about that. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday episode, Buckeye Talk is all about Buckeye Talk. No football in here. This podcast started in September 2015, and now seven years later, there have been somewhere around 1,000 episodes of Buckeye Talk. To acknowledge that, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means took this episode to talk all about the show and solicit feedback and comments. Are the guys too negative about Ohio State? How many OSU podcasts do listeners follow? How many days a week do people listen? What type of episodes do they want more of and less of? Do they think Doug, Nathan and Stephen know what they're talking about, and are they fun? And then two big questions -- does Doug talk too much and are the episodes too long? The preseason is right around the corner, so this is a last detour before the football talk gets more in depth. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk, and specifically, thanks for listening to a Buckeye Talk about Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday episode, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means continue to work their way through the most influential Ohio State football players for the 2022 season. The list of the top 25 started on the Friday pod with players 25 through 17. Now six more players are discussed, going from No. 16 to the edge of the top 10. Two players on this episode are fourth-year defensive end Zach Harrison and second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka, who are two examples of the differences in production, potential, opportunity and age that factor into a list like this. Two more Influential pods are ahead. For now, enjoy this one, and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not since Michael Jenkins in 2022 has Ohio State entered a season with such a clear-cut No. 1 choice in its receiver corps. Jaxon Smith-Njigba already has one record-setting season behind him and could be en route to another. But who will emerge as the second most productive receiver in that corps this fall? Doug, Nathan and Stephen predict the runners-up in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches -- and a couple of surprise categories. It's the first Mark It Down Monday previewing the coming season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are back with a new project. It's the most influential Ohio State football players for this season, and on this episode, the guys explain the concept and then run through players 25 through 17 on this list of the 25 most influential Buckeyes. Doug, Nathan and Stephen each rated players in two categories -- their Value and their Specialness -- and then the text subscribers contributed their Q ratings of players as well. The result? The Buckeyes who will affect fans most this season, those who are the most interesting, exciting, talented, valuable, fun, productive players on the roster. The nine players discussed in this episode range from kicker Noah Ruggles to backup quarterback Kyle McCord to transfer safety Tanner McCalister. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are up to the ninth game of the season in our Buckeye Talk preview of Ohio State's 2022 schedule, as Louie Vaccher joins Doug Lesmerises to talk about the Buckeyes' trip to Northwestern on Nov. 5. Louie covers the Wildcats for WildcatReport.com in the Rivals network, and on this episode, he joins Doug to discuss Northwestern's habit of hanging around with the Buckeyes. In their last five games dating back to 2013, the Wildcats have led in the second half of three games and been within three points in the second half of another. Northwestern's quarterback problems and how they might or might not be fixed this season, and who should start at QB vs. the Buckeyes. How much the Wildcats are missing their long-time defensive coordinator. What Northwestern playing a close home game with Ohio State in 2013, on a day when ESPN broadcast GameDay from Evanston, meant to the program. Then there's one more brief guest at the end of the pod. Three more games left to preview before the season starts, and thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May 2021, few if any expected Jaxon Smith-Njigba to have Ohio State football?s most prolific receiving season. As late as June 28, no one would put their name on a potential Buckeye loss to Oregon on Sept. 11. Yet by Aug. 16, in the middle of preseason camp, major questions were beginning to leak through about a potential lack of playmakers on the OSU defense. Sometimes even when the Buckeye Talk crew made an incorrect prediction, the discussion around that choice told us a lot about what unfolded in the following months. As we prepare to resume our Mark It Down Monday season preview series, we looked back on the predictions we made in 2021. We made some very accurate statements: Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave as first-round draft picks, C.J. Stroud as a Heisman Trophy finalist, true freshman TreVeyon Henderson leading the team in rushing. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means offer a shorter version of their typical rapid fire pod, taking nine questions from text subscribers over the course of an hour. And they are all directly about Ohio State football. No conference realignment talk for the moment. How long will Jim Knowles remain Ohio State's defensive coordinator? How important is run-pass balance to the offense? What are the expectations for Oklahoma State transfer Tanner McCalister? What veteran defender could have a big 2022 season? Should Ohio State have to worry about a flip from 2024 QB commit Dylan Raiola? And more. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk celebrating the Fourth of July, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are here with a draft. This is based off the idea that 15 years ago, both Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline were Ohio State football players. So now, let's took 15 years into the future, and imagine which people associated with the Buckeyes could be Ohio State's head coach, or a head coach at another Big Ten or major college football program, in 2037. Doug, Nathan and Stephen each drafted six people, one each from these six categories, all of them either one-time Ohio State players or coaches: Current head coaches anywhere Current Ohio State assistants Current assistants anywhere else Current Ohio State players Former Ohio State players not currently coaching Wild card Who went first? Who might surprise you? Listen to the latest Buckeye Talk to find out. Thanks for making us part of your week, and enjoy your Independence Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird report back from Friday morning's news conference with Kristina Johnson and Gene Smith on the Ohio State view of Big Ten expansion. They discuss the future; why revenue sharing in the Big Ten will remain equal; Smith's brief, frustrated dalliance with Ohio State going independent; what text subscribers said about USC and UCLA in a survey; and whether the Big Ten won this whole expansion thing. There are questions and answers, which makes it another Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are back together for the big breaking news of the Big Ten preparing to add USC and UCLA. As discussed on this episode ... "Whaatttt?" The guys dive in on this Thursday Buckeye Talk. as college football continues to change. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices