Bucknuts Morning 5: An Ohio State athletics podcast

Who will be Ohio State's starting safety by the end of the season: junior Damon Webb (who is currently the starter) or classmate Erick Smith?

What about the battle at defensive tackle between current starter Dre'Mont Jones and Robert Landers, who are both redshirt freshmen? Will Jones hold on to the job, or will Landers earn it?

Those are two of the topics discussed by Dave Biddle and Steve Helwagen on today's show.

Other topics include the good news about Gareon Conley, and Mark Titus' hilarious-yet-true column about the greatness of Urban Meyer.

Many pundits - even those with strong Scarlet and Gray tendencies - thought the Buckeyes would stumble in Norman.

Stumble they didn't.

Now those 10-2 preseason predictions for these young Buckeyes seem small.

What does Duane Long think of his preseason prediction?

He's here like he is every Tuesday to face the music.

What does the win over Oklahoma mean for Ohio State? Have goals changed?

What does it mean for recruiting going forward?

Duane has the answers. All you have to do is listen and enjoy.

Spend 5ish with us 'Nutters!

Yes, we are still glowing from Ohio State's 45-24 win at Oklahoma on Saturday in one of the most impressive performances in recent memory by a Buckeye team.

Much like 2015, this year now feels like a "national championship or bust" season. Urban Meyer would certainly agree.

With impressive as the Buckeyes have been, what is the weakness of this team? It's difficult to find one, but that's one of the topics Matt Baxendell and Dave Biddle discuss on today's show.

Plus, Michigan might be ranked No. 4 in the country, but they certainly aren't playing like that. The Wolverines looked flat out bad against Colorado for most of the game. Is Michigan even the second-best team in the Big Ten? We don't think so.

Oklahoma backup quarterback Austin Kendall had some, uh, interesting things to say about Ohio State's defense earlier this week.

But does "bulletin board material" really matter in football? It's fun to talk about before the game kicks off, but once the game begins, does all of that go out the window? Or can it really have an effect on the outcome of a game?

Jonah Booker joins Dave Biddle to discuss that and more.

* When both players are healthy, who will start at WILL linebacker between Jerome Baker and Dante Booker?

* Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Robert Landers played very well last week. Could he be on the verge of a breakout?

* And we give score predictions heading into tomorrow's showdown in Norman between the Buckeyes and Sooners.

As Ohio State prepares for its most high-profile road game is nearly a decade, 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong joins the show to discuss the following:

* Is Oklahoma on the same level as Ohio State as a program?

* Can any coach expect to challenge Urban Meyer or Nick Saban in the dominance category?

* How big is this game to prized Buckeyes/Sooners target Jeffrey Okudah?

* Why is Ohio State enjoying such success recently?

All that and more as Steve and I get into it over who stands tallest in college football right now.

Enjoy the BM18ish!

Jeffrey Okudah will make his first official visit of the season this weekend -- and it will be at Oklahoma. So, he'll have a good view of the Ohio State-Oklahoma showdown on Saturday.

There is a good chance Okudah's decision could come down to the Buckeyes or Sooners. Is Ohio State the leader at this point?

The Dean of Ohio State Football Recruiting, Bill Kurelic, drops by to discuss that, plus:

* Reflect on the recruitment of OSU true freshman left guard Michael Jordan. Did anyone see this coming? Who else was in the running to land Jordan?

* What other recruits that Ohio State is after will be at this Saturday's game in Norman?

* Who are Kurelic and Dave Biddle predicting will win the game?

Are the Buckeyes ready for their highest profile out-of-conference matchup since Todd Boeckman was taking snaps in Scarlet & Gray?

What did we learn - good and bad - from the win over Tulsa?

Who are the top five teams in the nation?

Those questions need answers. Thankfully, we brought in Duane Long for his usual Tuesday appearance to provide such.

Spend a few more than five with us this morning!

When Dante Booker returns from his knee injury -- perhaps as early as this week -- will he immediately get his starting WILL linebacker job back? Or might Jerome Baker hold on to it?

That's one of the many topics Alex Gleitman and Dave Biddle discuss on today's show. Other topics include:

* Ohio State being a 2.5-point favorite over Oklahoma this Saturday in Norman.

* Whether kicker Sean Nuernberger might redshirt this year.

* The latest with OSU verbal commitments J.K. Dobbins and Shaun Wade.

Does college football need to change its targeting rule?

What do we want to see out of Ohio State against visiting Tulsa on Saturday (3:30 p.m.; ABC)?

What are our expectations for the remainder of the season for OSU?

Is defensive tackle a big concern for the Buckeyes?

Is sophomore outside linebacker Jerome Baker about to break out for OSU?

Brandon Castel joins Dave Biddle to discuss all of that and more during this nearly 19-minute version of the improperly-named Bucknuts Morning Five.

Is J.K. Dobbins a Buckeye regardless of his home-state Texas Longhorns showing signs of life?

Will Ohio State add another Class of 2017 standout from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas?

Will Terry McLaurin get in the end zone this weekend against Tulsa?

Are we headed for Ohio State and Alabama being part of College Football Playoff template?

Lots of questions. Who better to answer than 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong?

Nobody, that's who ...