On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dig into a major comparison for the 2020 season, and, well, every season. It's Ohio State vs. Clemson and the Big Ten vs. the ACC.
The question here is in two parts:

Does Ohio State or Clemson have an easier path to the College Football Playoff with their schedules this season?

Does the Big Ten or the ACC have the bigger gap between the team on top (either Ohio State or Clemson) and the teams chasing them (Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan, et al. in the Big Ten and Notre Dame, Miami, North Carolina, et al. in the ACC.)

Those questions, with answers from the hosts and text subscribers, took up most of this episode. But the guys did start the episode with a look at the way Trey Sermon and Master Teague may share the load at running back this season.
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Ep. 296: Does Ohio State or Clemson have an easier path to the College Football Playoff?

The latest analysis on Ohio State football, basketball and recruiting from cleveland.com's Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis. Usually, quite a good time.

Sports

Football

The NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night and we're getting you ready with a full first round mock draft.
For the third year in a row, the Orange and Brown Talk and Buckeye Talk crews got together and made every pick in the first round. Nathan Baird, Tim Bielik, Andrew Gillis, Dan Labbe, Stephen Means and Jimmy Watkins were all assigned teams and they worked their way through the first 32 picks, making trades and filling needs along the way.
While the first pick was a no-brainer, things got interesting after that and included discussions on Justin Fields in Pittsburgh and which Buckeyes player could be the first to go in their class next year.
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NFL Draft first round mock: We make all 32 picks

Ohio State football's 2025 recruiting class is currently the number one class in the country with 13 commits, including three five-star recruits as it’s gotten off to a hot start.
But the question is whether it’s on track to reach heights that the Buckeyes have only reached one other time by making history. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis map out what would need to happen for the 2025 class to match the success of the 2021 class. That class featured 24 players, with seven being five-stars and seven others being top 100 recruits as the nation’s No. 2 class behind Alabama.
But first, a conversation about OSU’s latest representation at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback competition.
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Is Ohio State football’s 2025 recruiting class on the verge of making history?

Ohio State football's 2024 roster is littered with future NFL prospects and the same can be said of the players in its recruiting classes.
But which one is the best of them all?
On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis search through the roster along with the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes to rank the best future prospects. The rankings are done regardless of the potential draft class each player could be apart of.
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Ranking Ohio State football’s 12 best NFL Draft prospects

The 2024 NF Draft is just days away with Ohio State expecting to again be well-represented potentially on all three days, but how good has it been at ensuring that happens annually?
On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the program's ability to develop draft picks since Ryan Day took over as head coach. They evaluate the position groups and assign them star ratings based on their success in producing draft picks. The rankings were based on the number of draft picks and the overall success of those picks.
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Evaluating Ohio State football’s NFL Draft development success under Ryan Day

This Friday episode of Buckeye Talk is brought to you solely on behalf of the texter community delivering questions.
Among the Ohio State topics discussed by Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis:

Has NIL impacted the way freshmen athletes interact with the media and build their personal brands?

Real life doppelgängers.

Which football players could make the basketball team?

Comparing Jeremiah Smith to other versions of great OSU wide receivers.

What the summer months look like for the current roster

Could a dominant defense hold the offense back?

How good would Ohio State be if it had to start its second-string defense all season?

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Ep. 296: Does Ohio State or Clemson have an easier path to the College Football Playoff?

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