Real Pod Wednesdays

An old friend of Eleven Warriors joins this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays to help us break down Ohio State’s third top-five opponent of the season.

Former Eleven Warriors recruiting reporter Taylor Lehman, who now produces the Indiana football newsletter Bite-Sized Bison, joins us on this week’s show to discuss the rise of Indiana football in Curt Cignetti’s first season as head coach and what’s enabled the Hoosiers to go 10-0 entering their biggest game of the season at Ohio State.

Lehman tells us this year’s Indiana football team is different even from the good Indiana teams that have challenged Ohio State in the past and says the program under Cignetti reminds him more of the program he covered at Ohio State than past Indiana teams. On the field, Lehman is confident in Indiana’s defensive front and passing offense entering the matchup with Ohio State, though establishing a run game and covering the Buckeyes’ elite trio of wide receivers will also be crucial to the Hoosiers’ success.

From start to finish, this week’s episode is all about Ohio State vs. Indiana as we focus entirely on the Buckeyes’ top-five matchup with the Hoosiers, even after Seth McLaughlin’s season-ending injury. (For a more in-depth conversation about McLaughlin’s injury and how Ohio State could replace him, watch our most recent episode of Press Coverage).

The rundown for this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays:

• 0:00 Welcome Back, Taylor
• 1:14 What It’s Been Like to Cover Indiana’s Rise to 10-0
• 3:32 We Know Indiana is Good, But Is It Good Enough to Beat An Elite Opponent?
• 7:33 How Indiana’s Offense Has Become One of the Nation’s Best
• 13:25 Mikail Kamara, D’Angelo Ponds Among Stars of Indiana’s Top-10 Defense
• 16:54 Defensive Line, Passing Offense Among Strengths That Should Translate vs. Ohio State
• 19:35 Rushing Defense, Establishing Run Among Keys to the Game for Indiana
• 21:11 This Might Not Be Indiana’s Biggest Game Ever, But It‘s the Biggest Game in a Long Time
• 23:08 Indiana Should Still Be A College Football Playoff Team Even If It Loses to Ohio State
• 26:52 Taylor’s Game Prediction
• 29:11 Seth McLaughlin’s Injury Makes Offensive Line the Biggest Concern for Ohio State Again
• 31:34 Passing Defense, Specifically Cornerback Play, the Other Big Question for Ohio State
• 34:41 Josh Fryar, Donovan Jackson, Jack Sawyer Among X-Factors for OSU vs. Indiana
• 38:14 Andy and Dan’s Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Indiana

The biggest storyline for Ohio State this week isn‘t who the Buckeyes are playing, but where and when they’re playing.

Ohio State is expected to win big for the second week in a row as it plays another one of the Big Ten’s worst teams in Northwestern one week after blowing out Purdue. This week’s game offers a layer of excitement that last week’s game didn’t, however, because it will be played at Wrigley Field, offering a unique backdrop for an Ohio State football game at one of America’s most storied sports venues.

That said, the biggest talking point of the week among Buckeye fans has been kickoff times after the Big Ten announced Monday that Ohio State’s top-five showdown with Indiana next week will be yet another noon game, which means the Buckeyes will play six noon games in a row to conclude their 2024 regular season. Many Buckeye fans want to see Ohio State play in more night games, but OSU doesn’t seem overly eager to push back against early afternoon kickoffs.

We begin this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays by sharing our top takeaways from the Buckeyes’ 45-point win over the Boilermakers, then look ahead to this week‘s trip to Wrigley before sharing our thoughts on the noon game debate. We wrap up the show by discussing the latest developments in Ohio State basketball as the men’s team races out to a 2-0 start while the women’s team (also 2-0) makes two home run additions to its coaching staff in Katie Smith and Jacy Sheldon.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00 We’re Excited to Watch Football at Wrigley
• 2:20 Ohio State’s 45-0 Win Over Purdue Was the Uneventful Game It Needed Against A Bad Team
• 4:18 Ohio State’s Pass Rush Built Momentum As Defense Had Another Dominant Game vs. Purdue
• 7:20 The Jack Experiment Didn’t Work vs. Purdue, But That Didn’t Make the Experiment A Bad Idea
• 12:51 Ohio State Makes A Long-Awaited Big Play on Special Teams
• 16:50 Other Standouts vs. Purdue: TreVeyon Henderson, Jeremiah Smith, Eddrick Houston, Sonny Styles
• 26:57 Ohio State Could Have A Home-Field Advantage at Unique Venue vs. Subpar Northwestern Team
• 34:22 Will Ohio State Be Quicker to Take Starters Out in Likely Final Opportunity for Backups to Play?
• 38:07 Both of Our Score Predictions Have the Buckeyes Covering Comfortably
• 40:40 We Like Noon Games and Ohio State Does Too, But Fans Miss Big Home Night Games
• 47:02 Why Ohio State Probably Isn’t Inclined to Push Back Against So Many Noon Games
• 52:34 Defensive Intensity, 3-Point Shooting Stand Out in First Two OSU Men’s Basketball Games
• 57:14 Katie Smith, Jacy Sheldon Are Home Run Hires for Ohio State Women’s Basketball
• 1:01:15 OSU Men’s Soccer Competes for A Big Ten Title and Sammy Sasso Returns to the Mat

The vibes are good again surrounding Ohio State football.

After three weeks of negativity that followed Ohio State’s loss to Oregon and uncomfortably close win over Nebraska, the Buckeyes gave their fans reason to be excited once again as they went on the road and earned a marquee win over Penn State, the No. 3 team in the country at the time. Making the win particularly special for the Buckeyes was how they won the game, as their defense held Penn State without a touchdown while the offensive line carried Ohio State to victory as it ran out the clock in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State’s improvements in both of those areas from its previous two games restored confidence that the Buckeyes remain a national championship contender, and the College Football Playoff selection committee agreed as it ranked Ohio State second in its initial rankings of 2024 on Tuesday night.

With what should be an easy win over Purdue on tap this week, we spend this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays discussing what impressed us most in Happy Valley, where our confidence stands now that Ohio State will achieve its three major goals and how the initial rankings put the Buckeyes in excellent position for the CFP.

The rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00 The Vibes Are Good Again for Ohio State Football
• 3:03 Ohio State Finds the Right Lineup Up Front with Donovan Jackson at LT, Carson Hinzman at LG
• 9:48 What’s Your Level of Confidence in the Offensive Line Now?
• 12:51 Ohio State’s Defense Looks Like the Elite Unit It’s Supposed to Be Again
• 16:00 Ohio State’s Goal-Line Stand Was Emblematic of What’s Made Its Defense Successful
• 19:18 What Ryan Day and Jim Knowles Mean By Getting “Back to Basics” on Defense
• 24:46 What‘s Your Level of Confidence in the Defense Now?
• 28:38 Cody Simon, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins and Jayden Fielding Deserve Shoutouts
• 33:05 Assessing Our Confidence That OSU Will Beat Michigan, Win Big Ten, Win National Championship
• 39:55 The Buckeyes Deserve to Be Ranked Second, And They’re In Great Position for the CFP Now
• 44:15 Other Takeaways from the Initial College Football Playoff Rankings
• 49:14 Forgive Us, Ryan Day, But We’re Overlooking Purdue
• 54:03 Why Andy Thinks Ohio State Will Cover and Why Dan Thinks OSU Won’t Cover vs. Purdue
• 56:00 The Vibes Are Good for Ohio State Basketball and Men’s Soccer, Too

Ohio State plays Penn State in its second top-five game of the season on Saturday, while we’re just one day away from Halloween.

We celebrate both of those momentous occasions on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

Nearly our entire hour of conversation this week is centered around the Buckeyes’ trip to Happy Valley for a game with massive Big Ten championship implications for both teams, mixing in our takeaways from Ohio State’s closer-than-expected battle with Nebraska and how that shapes our perception of the Buckeyes entering their second major test of the season.

In the spirit of Halloween, our Ohio State vs. Penn State preview show also features a guest appearance from the Pop-Tarts Bowl mascot – who you may recognize as one of Eleven Warriors’ own if you listen closely – who serves as our guest picker as we close the show by making our predictions for Saturday’s game, where our toaster pastry friend serves as the tiebreaking vote in who will win the nationally anticipated contest.

An overview of what we’re talking about and when on this week’s show:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:47 More Nerves Than Excitement in Columbus After Near-Disaster vs. Nebraska
• 5:39 Ohio State’s Offensive Line Has Re-Emerged As Its Biggest Weakness
• 10:47 Donovan Jackson Moving to Left Tackle in One Week Will Be Tough Transition for Entire OL
• 18:02 Ohio State Might Need to Lean On Passing Game with Will Howard Playing at Elite Level
• 24:09 Pass Rush Improved vs. Nebraska, But Containment Will Be Priority if Beau Pribula is PSU’s QB
• 29:14 Both Teams Could Have DE vs. OT Advantage as JT Tuimoloau Returns to Site of His Best Game
• 32:03 Ohio State Should Force Penn State to Beat It With Wide Receivers, Not Tyler Warren
• 37:17 Ryan Day Has Owned James Franklin, But Must Win This Game to Change Big-Game Narrative
• 43:16 Play of Donovan Jackson, Offensive Line Will Likely Determine Outcome of the Game
• 44:49 Jeremiah Smith, Sonny Styles Among Other X-Factors for Ohio State vs. Penn State
• 48:47 Conversation with the Pop-Tarts Bowl Mascot
• 55:39 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Penn State

Ohio State shouldn’t be in danger of losing to Nebraska, but there are plenty of questions surrounding the Buckeyes as their second half of the regular season begins.

Three areas in particular will be under the microscope as Ohio State returns from its bye week against Nebraska on Saturday: New starting left tackle Zen Michalski, the Buckeyes’ safety depth and their pass rush.

Michalski is the player we’ll be watching most closely on Saturday as he makes his first career start in place of Josh Simmons, who is out for the rest of the season due to the knee injury he suffered against Oregon. With a massive test looming next week against Penn State and Abdul Carter, can Michalski prove he’s up to the task of protecting Will Howard’s blind side? If not, how quickly will Ohio State turn to a plan B – and will that plan B be moving Donovan Jackson or Tegra Tshabola outside?

Offensive tackle and safety were the positions where we most concerned about Ohio State’s depth entering the season, and it appears both will be tested this week after Lathan Ransom was injured last week in practice. While Ryan Day offered no clarity on Ransom’s status Tuesday, his non-answer is enough to suggest Ohio State will likely be without him for at least one week. If so, it remains uncertain whether Ohio State will replace him in the lineup with Malik Hartford, Jaylen McClain, Jordan Hancock or Lorenzo Styles Jr. – or some combination of both.

The pass rush, meanwhile, has been a major talking point for the past 10 days after Ohio State failed to notch a single sack against Oregon. After Day agreed with Nick Saban’s assessment that Ohio State’s pass rush scheme isn’t working, will we see more creativity from the Buckeyes’ pass rush against Nebraska, or will Ohio State save that for next week’s trip to Happy Valley? Either way, the Buckeyes need to prove that they can put more pressure on the quarterback this week as they go against another passer who’s capable of testing their defense in former Ohio State commit Dylan Raiola.

We discuss all of that and more, including our predictions for Ohio State vs. Nebraska and what we saw this past weekend from the likes of Indiana, Michigan, Georgia and Texas, on a new episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

The rundown for this week’s episode:

• 0:00 Andy Celebrates His Turkey Bowl Win
• 4:43 Time to Turn the Page from Oregon Loss As Second Half of Ohio State’s Regular Season Begins
• 6:56 Dylan Raiola Has Been Inconsistent As A Freshman, But He’s Giving Nebraska Hope
• 10:32 Solid Left Tackle Play Without Josh Simmons is the Biggest Thing We Need to See This Week
• 22:35 Ohio State Will Likely Need to Test Depth at Safety This Week With Lathan Ransom Injured
• 31:07 Ohio State Must Get Pass Rush Going vs. Nebraska Even If It Saves Some Tricks for Penn State
• 39:49 OSU Should Look to Help Denzel Burke, Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau with Scheme Adjustments
• 44:41 Score Predictions for An Expected Ohio State Cover vs. Nebraska
• 47:48 Indiana Looks Like A Real Threat While Michigan Might Need to Win This Week for Bowl Eligibility
• 57:13 Texas’ Loss to Georgia Further Evidence That Everyone is Beatable in College Football This Year

There’s no sugarcoating Ohio State’s defensive play against Oregon, but we still think the Buckeyes can achieve all of their goals.

Ohio State’s defense was bad against Oregon, especially when considering what this year’s defense is supposed to be with all of the talent the Buckeyes have on that side of the ball. The Buckeyes’ defense gave up way too many big plays without making big plays themselves, allowing eight plays of 25 yards or more while recording zero sacks and zero takeaways.

We still believe Ohio State’s defense can be the best in the country, but the Buckeyes must take full advantage of their bye week to figure out why they haven’t played up to their talent and improve accordingly.

Ohio State was much better on the other side of the ball against Oregon, with Will Howard having a great game aside from his mistake on the final play, but Josh Simmons’ likely season-ending injury looms large as the Buckeyes must figure out a way to replace arguably their most irreplaceable player at left tackle.

All of that said, Ohio State still effectively controls its own destiny in the Big Ten and College Football Playoff races, and we still expect the Buckeyes to prevail as Big Ten and possibly national champions – though they no longer have a mulligan to work with as they enter the second half of the regular season, which includes four challenging games even though we think Oregon is the toughest opponent Ohio State will face until the CFP.

We discuss all of that and more, including our thoughts on the controversial pass interference penalty against Jeremiah Smith, Dan Lanning’s clever gamesmanship and Ryan Day’s late-game clock management, on our Oregon post-mortem/midseason bye week episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:28 Andy’s Prevailing Thoughts on the Oregon Loss: Defense Disappoints, Will Howard Impresses
• 5:28 Josh Simmons’ Injury Hurts Ohio State’s Outlook More Than the Oregon Loss
• 8:27 No Sacks, No Takeaways and Eight 25+ Yard Plays Allowed: A Bad Combination
• 11:25 We Weren’t Confident OSU’s Defense Would Make A Late Stop, Which Sums Up How It Played
• 14:10 Ohio State’s Defense Still Has the Talent to Be the Nation’s Best, But Must Figure Out Fixes
• 17:09 One Game Shouldn’t Define Denzel Burke, But Jermaine Mathews Jr. Should Get More Reps
• 22:06 Pass Interference Call Was Questionable, But We Tip Our Hats to Dan Lanning’s Gamesmanship
• 31:22 Was Throwing in Field Goal Range A Mistake or Should Ryan Day’s Aggressiveness Be Lauded?
• 34:37 Why Andy Thinks the Narrative About Ohio State’s Final Drive in 2022 Peach Bowl is Unfair
• 36:46 Ryan Day’s Late-Game Clock Management Needs to Be Better, But Everything’s Easier in Hindsight
• 39:35 Ohio State Has Used Its Mulligan, But Still Controls Its Destiny in Big Ten and CFP Races
• 44:13 Options to Replace Josh Simmons: Zen Michalski, Austin Siereveld and Donovan Jackson?
• 49:30 National Championship Confidence Has Decreased, But We’re Still Picking OSU to Achieve Its Goals
• 55:35 Andy Will Spend His Bye-Week Saturday Playing Football

It’s time for our first true look at what this year’s Ohio State football team is made of.

The first half of the season has all built up to this week’s road trip to Oregon, where the second-ranked Buckeyes will face the third-ranked Ducks in what’s not only one of the biggest games of Ohio State’s regular season but one of the biggest games of the entire year in all of college football. While Ohio State was heavily favored to win all of its first five games, this week brings a true matchup game for the Buckeyes in which they’ll be tested in all phases.

Ohio State has some potential advantages over Oregon, with its defensive line and running game looking like two of its biggest strengths. But the Buckeyes will have to break the trend of the past three weeks in which teams throughout the Big Ten have lost after long road trips. Will Howard faces his first major test as Ohio State’s quarterback, the offensive line faces its first major test in pass protection and the Buckeyes’ pass defense must prove it’s up to the task against an Oregon offense full of weapons.

We spend more than an hour previewing the game from all angles on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays. The rundown below highlights some of the main topics we covered in our breakdown of the Buckeyes vs. the Ducks.

• 0:00 The First Marquee Game for Ohio State Has Arrived
• 4:30 OSU Offensive Line Passed A Test vs. Iowa, But Oregon Presents Bigger Test in Pass Protection
• 12:05 Defensive Front Has Momentum Off Iowa Dominance, But Oregon Brings Different Challenges
• 18:36 Ohio State’s Pass Defense Has Something to Prove Against Best Offense It’s Faced So Far
• 24:39 A Massive Measuring-Stick Game for Will Howard
• 33:38 Running the Ball Effectively to Take Pressure Off of Howard Will Be Crucial
• 39:04 Continuing to Excel in Red Zone, Situational Football Could Make the Difference
• 43:22 Why the Challenge of A Long Road Trip Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
• 50:44 Keys to the Game: Winning the Battle in the Trenches and the Running Game
• 55:48 The Importance of Avoiding Mistakes on Special Teams
• 56:54 Why Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs Are Our X-Factors for the Game
• 59:10 Our Score Predictions and Levels of Confidence in an Ohio State Win

Ohio State’s first month of the season is complete and we’re still feeling good about our preseason picks that the Buckeyes can win this year’s national championship.

There’s still a couple of lingering question marks, though it’s not necessarily what we thought the biggest concerns would be going into the season, as Ohio State’s linebacker play has been shaky while its offensive line has exceeded expectations. And there are certainly bigger tests to come than what the Buckeyes have faced so far, including this Saturday’s game against Iowa at Ohio Stadium (3:30 p.m., CBS).

With that being said, we both agree that we’re feeling just as if not more confident that Ohio State can achieve its goals of beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten and winning the national championship one month into the season as we did before it began.

On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we evaluate what we saw from Ohio State in the first month of the season before looking ahead to this week’s matchup against the Hawkeyes and the challenges they’ll present to the Buckeyes in the ground game on both sides of the ball.

The rundown for this week’s conversation:

• 0:00 Intro
• 3:27 Run Game, Jeremiah Smith, Safety Play Among Most Impressive Aspects of First Month
• 17:10 Linebacker Play Among Areas Where Defense Can Grow
• 30:40 Will Howard and Offensive Line Have Played Well, Still Have More to Prove vs. Better Defenses
• 38:45 Why Our Confidence That OSU Can Win the National Championship Has Only Grown
• 42:49 Iowa Will Test Ohio State in Run Game, But Buckeyes Should Have Advantage in Pass Game
• 51:24 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Iowa

Ohio State appears to have plenty of competition in the Big Ten as the Buckeyes begin conference play this week.

While we agree with the widespread consensus that Ohio State is the class of the conference, that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes will easily run the table to a Big Ten title. Their conference schedule includes three of the conference’s other marquee teams – Oregon, Penn State and Michigan – while Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska have all established themselves firmly in the middle of the conference’s pack with the potential to surge higher.

Ohio State’s first Big Ten opponent can’t be overlooked either. Michigan State enters this week’s matchup against the Buckeyes with a 3-1 record, having already earned one conference win over Maryland, and the Spartans will be the toughest competition Ohio State has faced so far this season on both sides of the ball after the Buckeyes started their year with a trio of tuneup games against overmatched Group of 5 opponents.

That said, we spend most of this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays taking a big-picture look at the Big Ten and assessing which teams have impressed us most through the first four weeks of the season before turning our attention to the matchup with Michigan State and making our predictions for how the Buckeyes’ battle with the Spartans will play out.

The full rundown for this week’s episode:

• 0:00 Intro – The Tests Start Getting Tougher This Week at Michigan State
• 5:52 Oregon is Still Ohio State’s Top Competition in the Big Ten
• 10:08 Penn State is Probably the Big Ten’s Third-Best Team, But Big Tests Await vs. Illinois and USC
• 14:17 Illinois and Even Nebraska Look Improved, But Both Still Have to Prove Themselves
• 16:28 Michigan Shows It Can’t Be Written Off With Win over USC
• 23:05 Indiana Looks Like An 8+ Win Team
• 27:45 Rutgers is Off to An Impressive Start, Too
• 31:14 Iowa’s Resurgent Running Game Makes It Dangerous
• 35:24 Ranking Ohio State’s Big Ten Games From Most Difficult (Oregon) to Least Difficult (Purdue)
• 45:25 Aidan Chiles’ Ability to Throw Deep and Run Makes Michigan State A Test for OSU Defense
• 54:22 MSU’s Balanced Defense Will Be Toughest Competition So Far for Ohio State Offense
• 56:19 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Michigan State
• 59:03 As Big Ten Play Begins, The Focus Should Be On One Week At A Time

Ohio State’s first two games have given us a look at how the Buckeyes’ depth chart stacks up at every position, and the Buckeyes appear to be loaded just about everywhere.

The Buckeyes haven’t faced any real tests yet, and they won’t this week either – at least we don’t think so – as Ohio State hosts Marshall in its final non-conference game of the regular season, a game the Buckeyes are favored to win by 40 points.

That said, the Buckeyes have looked the part of an elite team so far, dominating their first two opponents with a 52-6 win over Akron and a 56-0 rout of Western Michigan. Ohio State’s starting lineup is full of stars on both sides of the ball, and the first two games have demonstrated that the Buckeyes have a lot of talented backups, too.

On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we take a look at how Ohio State’s depth chart stacks up at every position so far this season and evaluate where the Buckeyes are the deepest and where question marks still linger.

Following a nearly hourlong discussion on the Buckeyes’ depth chart spanning their offense, defense and special teams, we conclude the show by making our predictions for how the Buckeyes will fare against the Thundering Herd and whether Michigan is headed for its second loss of September when it hosts USC this weekend.

The full rundown for this week’s episode:

• 0:00 Intro
• 4:46 Will Howard Solidified as Starting Quarterback; Could Julian Sayin Become No. 2 QB?
• 10:47 James Peoples Proving Himself as RB3 Behind TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins
• 13:46 Ohio State’s Receiving Corps Looks Better Than Last Year Even Without Marvin Harrison Jr.
• 19:40 Tight End Group Showing Depth But No Go-To Guy Yet
• 24:07 Ohio State’s Interior Offensive Line Two-Deep Looking Strong
• 29:27 Offensive Tackle Depth Remains the Biggest Concern on Ohio State’s Depth Chart
• 31:46 Defensive End is Ohio State’s Deepest Position
• 33:46 OSU Still Looking for More Defensive Tackle Depth Behind Strong Top Three
• 38:30 Arvell Reese’s Outstanding Start Bolsters Ohio State’s Linebacker Depth
• 41:38 Jermaine Mathews Jr., Lorenzo Styles Jr., Aaron Scott Jr. Giving OSU Great Cornerback Depth
• 46:36 Safety Depth Remains Question Even with Malik Hartford, Jaylen McClain Surging
• 49:32 With Joe McGuire’s Emergence at Punter, Kick Returner is Biggest Special Teams Question
• 53:39 Why We Both Expect Another Blowout Win from Ohio State vs. Marshall
• 57:06 Is Michigan Destined for Its Second Loss of September vs. USC?
• 1:02:26 Nebraska/Illinois, Michigan State/BC Among Other Big Ten Games to Watch This Weekend