As well as Ohio State’s played so far in the College Football Playoff, it feels like the only team who can beat the Buckeyes is themselves. But that doesn’t mean a win over Texas will come easily.

The Longhorns are in the CFP semifinals too for a reason, the biggest of which is its defense, which leads the nation in passing yards allowed per attempt. We’re not sure if anyone in college football can stop Jeremiah Smith right now, but the Longhorns might be the most well-equipped team in the country to at least slow Ohio State’s passing offense down.

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State faces a dangerous passing attack led by an old friend in Quinn Ewers. But we expect the Buckeyes’ defense to make life difficult for Ewers, especially considering the Longhorns’ recent struggles in the running game, and we think Ohio State might hold the quarterback advantage anyway with how well Will Howard has played in Ohio State’s first two CFP games.

We share our full thoughts on Ohio State’s matchup with Texas and make our predictions for how the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl battle with the Longhorns will play out on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, as outlined below:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:58 There’s Not Much to Nitpick From Ohio State’s Dominant Performance vs. Oregon
• 4:33 Texas Has One of the Nation’s Best Pass Defenses, But Can Anyone Stop Jeremiah Smith?
• 11:24 Making Texas’ Offense One-Dimensional Could Be the Key to Another Dominant Win
• 18:44 Which Quarterback Would You Rather Have: Will Howard or Quinn Ewers?
• 21:26 Colin Simmons is A Really Good Freshman, But We’ll Take Jeremiah Smith
• 23:31 Ohio State’s Offensive Line Faces Another Big Test, Will It Rise to the Occasion Again?
• 27:18 Donovan Jackson and Justin Frye Have Both Stepped Up in A Massive Way
• 30:00 Our Biggest Reasons for Confidence and Biggest Reasons for Concern in the Cotton Bowl
• 39:19 Lathan Ransom, Tyleik Williams Among Players to Watch vs. Longhorns
• 42:24 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Texas
• 45:28 Predictions for Notre Dame vs. Penn State

With the Buckeyes set to play the Ducks on a Wednesday in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays comes one day early as we discuss the keys to the game and make our final predictions for how the game will play out.

The full rundown for our Rose Bowl preview edition of RPW:

• 0:00 Setting the Stage for What Should Be A Classic Game
• 2:44 The Buckeyes Have Turned Doubters Into Believers, But There’s No Lack of Motivating Factors
• 5:05 Ohio State’s Defense Can Make the Difference in the Rematch
• 8:43 But Ohio State’s Offense Must Put Up Similar Numbers Without Key Offensive Linemen
• 13:17 Will Oregon Benefit from More Rest or Will Ohio State Benefit from Building Momentum?
• 17:39 Denzel Burke, OTs, DEs, RBs and Jeremiah Smith Among Players to Watch
• 24:50 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Oregon
• 29:57 Our Predictions for the Other Three College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Ohio State fans got their Christmas present four days early.

In front of a raucous Ohio Stadium crowd that gave the Buckeyes plenty of energy despite a Tennessee takeover attempt, Ohio State gave its fans everything they could have asked for in a 42-17 dismantling of the Volunteers that reestablished the Buckeyes as a national championship contender and punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

The next round could be the biggest hurdle in the Buckeyes’ path to actually winning a national championship, as they face the CFP’s No. 1 seed in a New Year’s Day battle with Oregon at the Rose Bowl, but our belief in Ohio State’s ability to beat the Ducks is much higher than it was a week ago based on its performance against the Volunteers.

We recap what made Ohio State’s showing against Tennessee so impressive and look ahead to the Buckeyes’ rematch with Oregon on our Christmas episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, which you can watch in the video at the top of the page or listen to in the audio player below.

The full rundown for the show:

• 0:00 Improved Offensive Line Play, Offensive Game Plan Leads to Tour De Force Performance
• 4:37 Will Howard Demonstrates NFL-Caliber Passing Ability in His Best Game As A Buckeye Yet
• 6:45 Did Ohio State Learn Lessons from The Game or Just Not Take Michigan Seriously Enough?
• 16:10 Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau Lead Elite Defensive Effort vs. Tennessee
• 20:32 Buckeye Fans Show Out, CFP Gives OSU Blueprint to Continue Improving Game Environment
• 26:51 Whoever Wins Ohio State vs. Oregon Will Be Our Pick to Win the National Championship
• 31:19 Three Options for Fixing the Unbalanced Seeding in the College Football Playoff Bracket
• 34:47 Pass Defense, Offensive Line Must Prove Their Improvement is Real vs. Oregon
• 43:55 Why We’re Both Taking the Over in Ohio State vs. Oregon
• 45:13 Why We’re Leaning Ever-So-Slightly Toward Picking the Buckeyes to Beat the Ducks

Three days away from the first-ever College Football Playoff game at Ohio Stadium, our confidence level that Ohio State will beat Tennessee sits at around 60%.

Ohio State’s interior offensive line remains a major concern as the Buckeyes have opted not to commit to a set trio of starters inside, and we think Tennessee is a well-rounded team capable of challenging Ohio State in all phases of the game. But Ohio State’s dominant defense and its elite receiving playmakers still make us think the Buckeyes should beat the Volunteers, though we’re both expecting a tight game at the Shoe on Saturday night.

In our pre-CFP episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss what concerns us most about the matchup with Tennessee and what gives us confidence in Ohio State, then make our official predictions for not only Ohio State vs. Tennessee but the entire College Football Playoff.

The full rundown for our game-week show:

• 0:00 We’re Three Days Away from A Historic Night at Ohio Stadium
• 2:10 Why Our Confidence Level in An Ohio State Win is at 60%
• 7:48 Why We’re Taking the Points and the Under
• 10:19 Ohio State’s Interior Offensive Line Remains A Major Concern Amid Talk of Guard Rotation
• 20:39 Jayden Fielding Will Likely Remain the Kicker Even Though OSU Hasn’t Committed to Him Yet
• 23:44 Saturday Night’s Forecast Keeps Getting Colder; How Much Will That Impact the Game?
• 30:19 Ohio State’s Elite Defense, Receivers Are Reasons to Be Confident in Buckeyes
• 33:56 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Tennessee
• 35:50 Ohio State Usually Plays Its Best When It’s Being Doubted, It Needs to Feed Off That Again
• 39:38 Predicting Who Will Win Every Game in Every Round of the College Football Playoff

Ohio State’s College Football Playoff opener is just 10 days away.

While there have historically been more than three weeks between Selection Sunday and the marquee bowl games, the wait for games that matter is much shorter this year as the College Football Playoff begins on Dec. 20 and 21. Ohio State will host the last of four first-round games as it welcomes Tennessee to Columbus for an 8 p.m. game in the Shoe on the 21st.

With that in mind, we start this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays with our initial breakdown of Ohio State’s matchup with Tennessee and the challenges the Volunteers will present to the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s offensive line will be put to the test again – potentially with a new starting lineup – and the Volunteers’ running game is one of the best in the country. But the Buckeyes should still have the edge if they do what they failed to do against Michigan by playing to their strengths in the passing game.

We also take a look at Ohio State’s College Football Playoff draw as a whole and the challenges that could lie ahead for the Buckeyes if they advance – and whether the draw should affect the requisites for Ryan Day to keep his job. 

To wrap up this week’s show, we discuss what Ohio State needs to accomplish in the transfer portal – starting with beefing up the offensive line – now that it is officially open for players to change teams for the 2025 season.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00 Adjusting to A New Postseason Schedule
• 1:56 Tennessee’s Defensive Front Will Pose Major Test for Ohio State’s Offensive Line
• 4:21 Joshua Padilla at Center, Carson Hinzman Back to Guard Among Possible Changes Up Front
• 10:13 Dylan Sampson, Tennessee Rushing Attack Will Challenge Ohio State’s Defense
• 12:42 Ohio State Needs to Exploit Advantages in Passing Game, Not Focus Solely on Rushing Battle
• 17:01 Home Field Will Be An Advantage for Ohio State, But Cold Weather Might Not Be
• 20:34 Our Confidence Level Ohio State Will Beat Tennessee: 60-65%
• 23:33 Ohio State is A 7.5-Point Favorite: Too High or Just Right?
• 24:44 Buckeyes Face Daunting Four-Game Path to A National Championship
• 31:08 Why Andy Still Thinks Ryan Day Should Need To Win At Least Two CFP Games to Keep His Job
• 34:18 Ohio State Must Juggle College Football Playoff Preparation with Working the Transfer Portal
• 36:20 No. 2 QB Job for CFP Should Be Open for Competition with Devin Brown’s Impending Exit
• 39:34 Ohio State Must Upgrade Offensive Line with Multiple High-Level Transfer Additions
• 48:40 Buckeyes Also Need to Add Kicker, Defensive Linemen in Transfer Portal

Ryan Day said the right things at his press conference on National Signing Day, but that doesn’t change the reality surrounding Ohio State’s head coach.

After losing to Michigan for the fourth year in a row, Day must win in the College Football Playoff to show he should still be the Buckeyes’ coach. How many games he must win in the CFP remains up for debate, but the pressure is on for Day to deliver results in the postseason, especially now that Ohio State is safely positioned to host a first-round playoff game.

On a late-Wednesday episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we share our thoughts on Day’s signing day press conference and what he needs to do to salvage his job before looking ahead at the seeding scenarios for the Buckeyes that remain in play this weekend ahead of Selection Sunday. We finish up the show by sharing our initial thoughts on Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class after 25 players signed with the Buckeyes on Wednesday.

The full rundown for our signing day show:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:02 Ryan Day Shows Accountability in Press Conference, But He’s Ultimately Judged on Results
• 6:04 Ohio State Must Be Able to Sustain Confidence in CFP After Failing to Do So vs. Michigan
• 15:40 How Many Games Does Ryan Day Need to Win in the CFP to Keep His Job?
• 26:36 Ohio State Will Be No. 8 Seed in CFP At Worst; Will It Move Up if Penn State and Georgia Lose?
• 39:47 Ranking the Difficulty of Potential Matchups with Tennessee, Alabama and Indiana
• 44:35 Ohio State’s 2025 Signing Class Full of Quality Players, But Buckeyes Need More in the Trenches

It’s time for war.

The LL Cool J song wasn’t playing at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday as it used to during the Urban Meyer years, but the message could still be heard loud and clear as Ryan Day and four of Ohio State’s top leaders met with the media four days ahead of The Game. The Buckeyes’ confidence entering this year’s rivalry game appears very real, but Ohio State isn’t overlooking the Wolverines despite their 6-5 record.

We share their confidence and believe Ohio State will end its three-game losing streak against the team up north on Saturday, but we also aren’t taking the Wolverines lightly. While Ohio State holds most of the advantages in the matchup on paper, Michigan will test the Buckeyes in the trenches – at least with its defensive line vs. Ohio State’s offensive line – and that’s usually where this game is decided.

We share our thoughts on where we see Ohio State having the advantage and where we see the Buckeyes being challenged in this matchup and make our predictions for how The Game will play out on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays. We also have some Thanksgiving week fun at the end of the show by building our ideal Thanksgiving plates (with plenty of football analogies from Dan).

The full rundown for this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:07 Andy’s Personal Thoughts on What Makes the Ohio State/Michigan Rivalry So Special
• 4:38 This Game Means Everything to Ohio State, and Ryan Day Clearly Understands That Now
• 8:42 Buckeyes Are Approaching This Game As A War
• 10:50 Ohio State Seemingly Views Michigan As A Bigger Threat Than Indiana Was Last Week
• 13:20 Controlling the Line of Scrimmage is Michigan’s Road Map to Victory
• 15:55 Both Defensive Lines Have the Edge Over Each Other’s Offensive Lines
• 23:02 Ohio State’s Defense Should Dominate If It Can Take Away Michigan’s Offensive Strengths
• 27:43 Will Howard Proving He’s One of Nation’s Best QBs and He Understands The Rivalry
• 34:37 Jack Sawyer, Jeremiah Smith, Arvell Reese Among Players to Watch in The Game
• 38:06 Score Predictions for The Game
• 39:56 Building Our Ideal Thanksgiving Plates

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