Baver Answer’s Colin’s Buckeye Questions
Colin: I was looking at questions from 2025 and I asked “can a team lose this many players to the NFL and still seriously contend for a national title?” Turns out the answer was “No”. I’ll tweak it for 2026: Can a defense lose 8 players to the NFL TWO YEARS in a row and still have enough to win it all?
Brent: While this D has seen a decent sized downgrade from a year ago, I still expect this OSU team to make the playoffs and to be a tough out. Hell, FanDuel still has Ohio St as the favorite to win it all. The oddsmakers likely have doubts about most of the top teams not named Georgia, as many of them failed to impress in September. But I hear you. The D-line has been pitiful outside of Kenyatta Jackson, and the LB duo of Styles & Reese are proving to be irreplaceable.
Colin: A lot has been made of Ohio State’s red zone deficiencies. Is there anything new OC Arthur Smith can do or is that just something we are going to have to live with considering the talent we have on the roster?
Brent: I think the new trio of McCuin, Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are eventually going to start causing problems for defenses that have to use extra bodies to deal with Jeremiah Smith. And I expect to see Arthur Smith start working that threesome in more as the season progresses. As for the red zone, specifically? I have my doubts. While Siereveld may be an upgrade at right tackle with Phillip Daniels on the mend, that move downgraded Siereveld’s vacated right guard spot. And that in turn probably makes it harder to pound the ball on the goal line.
Colin: Do you feel this team is equipped to win a tough game in horrible weather and/ or if Jeremiah Smith gets dinged up?
Brent: They did get it done in Ann Arbor last year, in the snow. The flip side saw a Buckeye team that was in no physical condition to play more than 3 quarters down in Austin, Texas in mid-September. A Buckeye offense without Jeremiah Smith? That makes me almost nauseous just thinking about it.
Colin: What have been some pleasant surprises for the 2026 Squad?
Brent: Kenyatta Jackson has been a beast. I also never expected Jay Timmons to help so much, so quickly. I know he’s a five-star guy, but other than Jeremiah, Timmons is the only other true freshman to start from day one since Maurice Clarett arrived on campus 23 years ago. And they’ve already gotten more output this season out of Ja'Kobi Jackson than I expected. He runs hard, is a solid short-yardage option, and a good receiving threat out of the backfield.
Colin: What groups still need to step up?
Brent: Except for Kenyatta, the D-line has not showed up in any game so far. The OSU D-line under-achieves year-in and year-out. You have two Bosas and Chase Young that helped carry Larry Johnson’s reputation in Columbus, but tell me the last time you remember a Buckeye D-line meeting expectations? I’ll my own question….it was when Mike Vrable was coaching the unit.
The next group that has to get better is the O-line. Way too many sacks. The jury is still out on O-line coach Tyler Bowen, and I’d take Justin Frye back in a heartbeat.
Colin: The defense doesn’t seem to have a playmaker…yet. Who do you think could be a person to make a huge play in a huge situation? The Texas loss was begging for just one big defensive play but it never happened.
Brent: Well, the D did get two sacks through the first 3 quarters, prior to the 100-degree field temperature finishing them off. That D should have substituted far more than they did…what a painful loss. They did have two really nice INTs (Timmons and McClain). That helped build a 23-3 lead over a pretty good Texas team. Kenyatta has hit the big time, and I need to mention Riley Pettijohn, who is on his way to stardom…like right now.
But I get it. Devin Sanchez ran his mouth in August, telling everyone he’d be the top cover-corner in the nation. (I guess the honorable mention All-Big Ten list may still be in play.) And I’m not sure Payton Pierce is the answer at MLB.
Colin: How do you think this WR room stacks up compared to recent groups?
Brent: It’s one guy carrying the entire unit, and Brandon Innis just hasn’t worked out as a position player. From top-to-bottom, it’s not stacking up so well so far when you compare them to all the elite Ohio St WR groups that came before them. But as mentioned, McCuin, Henry and Boyd I think will start making some noise.
Colin: What two games left on the schedule are you most concerned about?
Brent: Indiana and Oregon. I think Oregon has started to turn a corner. And while Indiana is down a notch, they are still a top 5 or 6 team in the country.
Colin: Looking around the National college landscape, who do you feel are serious contenders and who are pretenders?
Brent: Georgia is the team to beat. This is Kirby’s best team since they won back-to-back titles. I think the Irish CFB’s next best team. OSU needs to start getting better soon to get to the level where those two teams are.
Colin: What are your thoughts on this Iowa game?
Brent: Honestly, I don’t think this is one of Iowa’s better teams. They got out-played by Michigan last Saturday, despite winning in dramatic fashion. Still, if the Bucks continue to have problems in both sets of trenches, then this game will be a battle. Kirk Ferentz has his usual assembly at TE, and Kinnick Stadium has been rough on quite a few good, visiting teams as of late. But the 14 ½ point spread looks about right to me, and Iowa’s lack of a high-end tailback does not bode well for the Hawkeyes.
Friday Bet$ For Realz
Brian Phillips (Former Radio Morning Show Host CD101)
I'm so bad at this, but I'll give it another shot.
Alabama at Mississippi State... Biggest game in Stark Vegas since the Pirate Days (RIP Mike Leach). I think we're looking at a shootout. Over 60.5.
SMU -21 1/2 vs Boston College. Don't let last week's close one with Virginia Tech fool you. The weather was awful. This is a bad BC team.
Wake Forest -14 vs Stanford. Tough road trip for the Cardinal with a 9am body clock kick. I like Wake to clear this number easily.
Ohio State -14 at Iowa. We all enjoyed the Hawkeyes win over Michigan, but that was super flukey. Ryan Day hasn't forgotten 2017 when he was OC. This looks like 38-13 or something like that to me.
Eastern Michigan +5 1/2 at UMass. The game is sold out. Great story in Amherst, but the Eagles are experienced, cover quite frequently and UMass hasn't really played anyone. I think the Minutemen get it done, but it'll be closer.
USC - 8 1/2 vs Washington... The Huskies are very beat up. Who's going to run the ball? Temps in the upper 90s expected in LA.
Texas State -8 1/2 at San Diego State... The Aztecs are terrible to begin with, and then you wonder who's going to play with the team dealing with a mumps outbreak. That's right kids it's the 70s again. I know the Bobs are terrible on defense but come on.
Washington State -1 1/2 vs Fresno State. Yes, the Bulldogs are 3-1, but their wins are all against joke competition. The Cougs meanwhile have played Washington, Kansas State, and Arizona. Last week they showed some solid improvement on offense and gave Arizona a scare. The defense is legit.
Jeremy Porter (Pencil Storm Co-Editor in Chief, rock and roll musician, Mexican fast-food enthusiast, proudly representing that state to the north in hostile online territory MICHIGAN GO BLUE!)
Michigan lost to Iowa last week and they’re -5.5 against Minnesota this week. They’re nothing of not inconsistent. I’ll take -5.5 but not with a lot of confidence. OSU has Iowa -14.5 in Iowa City. I’d be careful there.
Wisconsin -10 over MSU seems safe.
The Lions handled the Jets without much trouble and this week the Bears have the Jets -3.5 at Soldier Field. I’ll take the Bears all day, giving NYJ another point or 2 even.
I like the Bengals -2.5 over the Jags in Cincy.
Not sure how the Cowboys are underdogs to the 0-3 Texans, but I’ll take them at +3.
Seahawks -7 against the 0-3 Chargers in Seattle looks tasty.
Sunday night the Lions are in Carolina -3.5. This will be a fun day. I won’t bet against the Lions, but it doesn’t always work in my favor.
Colin Gawel (Pencilstorm guy / musician solo and with Watershed)
I am currently researching and will jump back in if/when I have anything cooking. I did however attend the Browns v Steelers game on Thursday night where the Browns won on a 56 yard FG and Cheap Trick made played a surprise halftime set on 6 hours notice. The parlay odds of this happening on the same day were +293,876.
Also - I got hot last week with a live bet Iowa ML over UM + Florida, LSU and Wisconsin all covering. Unlike most gamblers this does not encourage me to get back at it. Actually the opposite. Take the money and run. (PS - my bets are all small wagers)
Ben Galli (Pencilstorm NBA Beat Writer)
Alabama -5.5 vs Mississippi State
Look, I’m no Joel Klatt, but it looks like Mississippi State might have a quarterback. The little I’ve seen of Kamario Taylor has been a joy. Great times for the poor man’s Ole Miss contingent, but Bama may have found a qb too. And while they’re on the road, I still see the Tide rolling big in this SEC showdown.
Cincinnati -2.5 vs Jacksonville
No one’s ever accused me of being a homer or going with my heart. Me?! No way, pal. I never root for my teams to win. But I like the Bengals at home by at least a field goal here after a frustrating divisional loss last week. Not to mention they’re the only AFC team Trevor Lawrence has never beaten, losing by 3 points in each of their 3 contests.
BIG $ (Pencil Storm Browns Beat Writer)
It is tacky for Big $ to publish his high school football bets online. They are just kids after all.