How long will the Buckeyes go into the season with head coach Ryan Day having to answer questions about whether or not the starting quarterback situation is finally settled? It took a few games last year, so what about this year?

That is one of the questions that is discussed by Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr in today’s episode of The Buckeye Weekly Podcast. It’s a listener questions episode that also features conversations about any possible dropoff at linebacker for the Buckeyes, whether or not the NBC evening timeslot is better than the Big Noon slot on FOX, absurd trends in college football, and more.

Rundown

Eating Burger King on the road and the fear of missing out. 0:01
- Tony and Tom discuss Kevin’s Burger King meal on a podcast.
- Tom recounts a trip to a rest stop with Kevin and Tony, where only Burger King was open.
Ohio State quarterback battle, with insights from Ross Fulton. 3:26
- Tony and Tom discuss Ohio State football, including a listener question about Ryan Day’s starting quarterback.
- Tom believes Will Howard will be the starting quarterback, citing similarities to last year’s quarterback battle.
Ohio State football quarterback battle and linebacker depth. 7:22
- Tom and Tony discuss the possibility of Ohio State experimenting with a quarterback rotation in the season opener.
- Tony wonders if the competition is close, will the Ryan Day give each quarterback a start in the first two games before naming a starter for the rest of the season.
- Tom discusses linebackers, expressing optimism.
Ohio State football linebackers, concerns about CJ Hicks and Steele Chambers. 12:44
- Tony expresses concern about CJ Hicks’s ability to play linebacker consistently due to lack of experience.
College football viewership trends, including the popularity of the “Big Noon” time slot. 17:33
- Tom and Tony discuss the top 15 regular season games from last year, ratings-wise.
- They analyzed the time slots and networks of the top games, answering a listener question of whether or not the 7:30 NBC slot is a better situation than FOX’s Big Noon game.
- Tom discusses the importance of the noon ET timeslot for college football games.
- Orr notes that Fox’s decision to put a big game in the noon ET timeslot has been successful, as it has become the most watched time slot for college football.
College football TV deals, scheduling, and team performance. 22:41
- Fox is pleased with their noon partnership with the Big Ten, with little competition from other networks.
College football trends, including transfer portal and rule changes. 27:32
- Tony criticizes Colorado and Collective’s handling of the transfer portal.
- Tom discusses the absurdity of college sports, particularly the lack of structure and organization.
- Orr highlights the decline of the kickoff play in college football, citing NFL’s potential solutions to make it more exciting.