Bucknuts Morning 5: An Ohio State athletics podcast

Today we have the second DeanCast.

Our DeanCast guest today is Alabama insider Hank South, from Alabama.247Sports.com.

On today’s show we talk:

** The battle for Emory Jones between Ohio State, Alabama and perhaps Auburn.

** Quarterback recruiting including Jones, Jarren Williams, Matthew Baldwin and Matt Corral.

** Recruits the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide are going head-to-head for.

** How things look for the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide regarding the college football playoff.

** Where Ohio State and Alabama finish in the final recruiting rankings

** Plus more

Other than the minor detail of beating Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game (read: not minor at all), what needs to happen for Ohio State to make the College Football Playoff?

The Buckeyes are No. 8 in the new CFP rankings which were released Tuesday night. The People's Champ, Matt Baxendell, joins Dave Biddle to discuss all things CFP, plus:

* How a TCU win over Oklahoma would help Ohio State.

* How much Dwayne Haskins are we expecting to see at quarterback for the Buckeyes against the Badgers?

* What does the future hold for Greg Schiano? Will he stay at OSU for one more season, or will he get a head coaching job this offseason?

* Thoughts on the matchup with Wisconsin.

All of that and more on the Wednesday extravaganza.

Welcome the first-ever Bucknuts Morning 5 Extra podcast!!!

As you hopefully noticed with the debut of Bill Kurelic's 'DeanCast' last week, Bucknuts is expanding its podcast programming.

Our guest today on the inaugural BM5X is Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com. The Ohio native is one of the best NFL Draft analysts in the business and has plenty to say that you'll want to hear.

Brugler shares detailed insight on all of Ohio State's draft-eligible prospects and breaks down which Buckeyes should leave early for the draft and which ones should return to Columbus.

How many first-round picks?

How many early entries?

Will J.T. Barrett be drafted?

Brugler answers ALL the questions.

Enjoy, 'Nutters!

An emotional win in Ann Arbor keyed by a young quarterback followed by an assistant coach embroiled in one of the most bizarre public fiascoes in sports history.

Anyone worried about Ohio State's opponent in the Big Ten Championship game?

Yes, Wisconsin is undefeated but the Badgers are a 6 1/2 point underdog against your Buckeyes.

Is that reasonable?

Where does Wisky rank against previous opponents Ohio State has faced this season?

What will the QB situation be for Ohio State?

Who better to provide answers than Duane Long?

Nobody. Which is good. Because he is today's guest.

Spend 5ish with us this a.m., 'Nutters! 

Greg Schiano certainly got a raw deal from Tennessee on Sunday.

The Volunteers pulled their offer for Schiano to be their head coach after a mob of angry fans protested on the UT campus.

The good news for Ohio State is that Schiano remains as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator. However, Tennessee allowing misguided fans to affect their decision-making does not sit well with us. The Vols come out of this looking really bad.

Patrick Murphy joins Dave Biddle to talk about the Schiano situation, plus:

* Dwayne Haskins helping lead the Buckeyes to a 31-20 win over Michigan following J.T. Barrett's knee injury.

* What happened with Barrett's injury?

* How long had OSU's medical staff known about his knee ailment?

* Will Barrett start in the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin this Saturday, or will it be Haskins?

All of that and more on a 25-minute edition of the Monday extravaganza.

It is the day before The Game and that is all we are talking about on today's show as Jonah Booker drops by for his usual Friday visit.

JBook joins Dave Biddle to discuss:

* What a loss tomorrow would mean for Jim Harbaugh.

* Ohio State has been such a bi-polar team this season. Is there any concern from the Buckeyes' perspective that the Wolverines will bring their "A" game and OSU only brings its "C" game tomorrow?

* What are the Wolverines likely to do at the quarterback position? Will John O'Korn be their starter, or might Harbaugh have a trick up his sleeve?

* If O'Korn is UM's best option at QB, do they even have a realistic chance at winning?

* ESPN's FPI says Ohio State has a 53 percent chance of beating both UM and Wisconsin. Does that seem about right, or a little low?

* Our predictions for The Game.

All of that and more on the Friday extravaganza.

Today, we bring you the first ever DeanCast.

And what better time to start than Michigan week?

Our first ever DeanCast guest is Michigan insider Steve Lorenz, from Michigan.247Sports.com.

On today’s show we talk:

** The temperature up north so to speak with the Wolverines coming off a loss at Wisconsin and a current 8-3 record ...

** Jim Harbaugh’s future at Michigan ...

** Recruits that will be in attendance Saturday at The Game ...

** Common Ohio State and Michigan recruiting targets ...

** Where Ohio State and Michigan finish in the final recruiting rankings ...

** Plus more so enjoy!

A lot of people are predicting that Ohio State will blow out Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor.

One of those human beings is The People's Champ, Matt Baxendell, who joins Dave Biddle on today's show.

Are some fans being too optimistic about The Game, or are the Buckeyes going to wax the Wolverines?

We debate that on today's show, plus:

* What is UM likely to do at quarterback?

* Which running back will the Buckeyes rely on the most: J.K. Dobbins or Mike Weber?

* How will OSU line up at the three linebacker spots?

* What is the biggest key to Ohio State winning on Saturday?

* What are our final score predictions for The Game?

All of that and more on a 15-minute version of the Wednesday extravaganza.

Do you know Tyreke Johnson and Walker Culver?

You need to ... now.

The star defensive back from Florida and unheralded offensive lineman from Tennessee have become prime Buckeye targets.

Are they next to join the Class of 2018?

How impressive are they as prospects?

We bring in Duane Long for insight and evaluations you won't want to miss.

Also: Duane gives his keys to Ohio State getting it done in Ann Arbor this weekend.

Spend 5ish with us this a.m.!

Kyrie Irving is "very much woke" to use his own words. And Michigan is "very much offensively challenged" to use Steve Helwagen's words.

And pretty much everyone else's words. Well, that's if people are being kind to the Maize and Blue.

How bad are the Wolverines on that side of the ball this year? Try No. 102 in the country in total offense. By comparison, the Buckeyes are No. 4 in the nation.

Helwagen joins Dave Biddle to discuss that, plus:

* Michigan's tough defense that is ranked No. 3 in the nation. The Buckeyes counter with the No. 8 total defense in the land. Can the Wolverines defense keep them in it?

* The point spread for The Game opened at -13 OSU. It is already down to 11.

* Who will be UM's quarterback this week? Could they use more than one? 

All that and more as we kick off what is always the biggest week of the regular season.