Real Pod Wednesdays

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 Intro0:58 There’s Not Much to Nitpick From Ohio State’s Dominant Performance vs. Oregon4:33 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 Win18:44 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 Smith23:31 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 Way30:00 Our Biggest Reasons for Confidence and Biggest Reasons for Concern in the Cotton Bowl39:19 Lathan Ransom, Tyleik Williams Among Players to Watch vs. Longhorns42:24 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Texas45:28 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 Game2:44 The Buckeyes Have Turned Doubters Into Believers, But There’s No Lack of Motivating Factors5:05 Ohio State’s Defense Can Make the Difference in the Rematch8:43 But Ohio State’s Offense Must Put Up Similar Numbers Without Key Offensive Linemen13:17 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 Watch24:50 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Oregon29:57 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 Performance4:37 Will Howard Demonstrates NFL-Caliber Passing Ability in His Best Game As A Buckeye Yet6:45 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. Tennessee20:32 Buckeye Fans Show Out, CFP Gives OSU Blueprint to Continue Improving Game Environment26:51 Whoever Wins Ohio State vs. Oregon Will Be Our Pick to Win the National Championship31:19 Three Options for Fixing the Unbalanced Seeding in the College Football Playoff Bracket34:47 Pass Defense, Offensive Line Must Prove Their Improvement is Real vs. Oregon43:55 Why We’re Both Taking the Over in Ohio State vs. Oregon45:13 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 Stadium2:10 Why Our Confidence Level in An Ohio State Win is at 60%7:48 Why We’re Taking the Points and the Under10:19 Ohio State’s Interior Offensive Line Remains A Major Concern Amid Talk of Guard Rotation20:39 Jayden Fielding Will Likely Remain the Kicker Even Though OSU Hasn’t Committed to Him Yet23:44 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 Buckeyes33:56 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Tennessee35:50 Ohio State Usually Plays Its Best When It’s Being Doubted, It Needs to Feed Off That Again39:38 Predicting Who Will Win Every Game in Every Round of the College Football Playoff