Ohio State enjoyed its second bye week — or “improvement week,” if you like — over the weekend, while most of the rest of the conference kept playing. We took the opportunity to get a look at some of the remaining competition, but what seemed like a strong slate of games was a bit disappointing in the end.

Before we went around the Big Ten to see how other teams made out, we discussed the tragic and untimely passing of former Ohio State center Nick Mangold, who lost his battle with kidney disease at far too young an age. Mangold was a monster in the middle of the OSU offensive line during his time in Columbus and enjoyed a productive NFL career as well. He also seemed to be well liked by just about everyone he interacted with. We pay our respects to the fallen Buckeye legend.

After that, we looked around the B1G to see how the other teams made out. Reality set in for UCLA in the Hoosier State, with Indian taking the Bruins to the woodshed. Oregon surprisingly struggled against Wisconsin but did enough to get the win. The Wolverines won the Paul Bunyan Trophy in the battle of the Mitten State, and Rutgers picked up a vital win late after a wild Purdue turnover to stay in the hunt for a bowl berth. We didn’t expect Iowa to spank Minnesota, but that’s what happened. Nebraska also outlasted Northwestern as both teams tried to throw the game away late, but only one team could pull that off.

We also looked ahead to the schedule that lies ahead on Saturday. There are always some intriguing matchups and this week is no exception.

Finally, we previewed the big meeting with Penn State. It’s fair to say the season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Nittany Lions, but there’s no animal more dangerous than one that is wounded and cornered. Ohio State cannot take the Nitts for granted. Saturday’s visitors are talented, even if they haven’t had their way of things this season and their visit to Columbus will be seen as an early bowl game and a potential springboard for a decent finish to the season and an actual bowl game. We selected our picks to click in the game for the Buckeyes and tried our hand at predicting the final score.

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As always, thanks for listening!

0:20 - We remember the late Nick Mangold and take a tour around the rest of the Big Ten.

23:10 - It isn’t the Ohio State-Penn State game we envisioned, but it’s the one we have. We try to get you ready for one of the biggest games on the remaining OSU schedule.