Podcast Summary: The Bill and Doug Show—Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: “Ohio State should dominate national title talk; plus, Paul Finebaum for Senate? Really? Rants”
Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Doug Lesmerises (Solo episode)
Podcast Network: Blue Wire

Episode Overview

In this episode, Doug Lesmerises delivers three passionate rants:

1. Why Ohio State should be the national title favorite—and isn’t discussed as such
2. The rise of Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss’s breakout SEC quarterback from Division 2 Ferris State, and missed opportunities for the Big Ten
3. “Paul Finebaum for Senate?”—The place of sports personalities in political life, and the value of sports media in hard times

Doug dissects current narratives and perceptions in college football, with special attention to media bias, misaligned storylines, and the bigger societal questions that sports intersect with.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ohio State vs. National Title Narratives

Main Argument: Based on on-field results, statistical dominance, and returning talent, Ohio State should be seen as the clear favorite for the 2025 national championship. Yet, national discourse treats the title race as “wide open”—a standard Doug argues wouldn't exist if an SEC team were in Ohio State’s position.

Key Points & Evidence

• Comparisons to Georgia 2022:

  • Both teams returned just three defensive starters after winning the title; both lost numerous NFL draftees.
  • “Georgia that year had seven guys back on offense... Ohio State pretty much had like seven starters returning” (03:53).
  • The only significant difference: Stetson Bennett, Georgia’s returning QB, vs. Ohio State breaking in a new starter. But after four games, OSU’s QB play is non-problematic.

• On-field dominance:

  • Ohio State beat preseason No. 1 Texas, shut down Washington’s 22-game home win streak, and owns “inarguably the best unit in the country” on defense (10:50).
  • “They’re allowing 5.5 points per game... that’s a shutout for Grambling State, but that's also seven against Texas and six against Washington, who are otherwise pretty high scoring offenses.” (21:29)
  • The Brian Fremeau (BcfToys.com) advanced rankings have OSU No. 1 overall, with the No. 1 defense and No. 3 offense.

• National Perception vs. Reality:

  • Betting markets actually list OSU as the favorite, but sports media maintains “this thing is wide open” (09:33).
  • “I promise you, if the defending national champ team from the SEC held Texas to 7 and Washington to 6, the conversation would be ‘who’s going to stop them?’” (24:37).
  • “It’s Ohio State until proven otherwise... it’s not wide open. Not right now.” (28:50)

• SEC’s weakened profile:

  • “The SEC is sort of a... pit, in the swamp of solid but not great teams.” (15:42)
  • No clear-cut elite SEC title threat, so media confusion projects as national parity.

Memorable Quotes

• “The defense is the certainty right now.” (18:24)
• “Ohio State doesn’t have to be mad about this. I just find it a little bit odd.” (16:54)
• “The conversation actually in the national title race is either ‘who’s going to beat Ohio State?’ or ‘Ohio State versus Oregon’—collision course. Not wide open.” (28:31)

Key Timestamps

• Statistical and historical context: [03:00–12:00]
• Discussion of betting odds & perception: [09:00-13:40]
• Analysis of OSU’s defense: [17:00–21:50]
• SEC parity & media distortion: [15:40–20:00]
• Final word on narrative: [28:00–30:00]

2. Trinidad Chambliss: From Ferris State to the Heisman Race

Topic: The meteoric rise of Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss's unexpected star QB, and the North's (especially Big Ten’s) missed opportunity.

Key Points & Evidence

• Chambliss’s Origin Story:

  • Michigan native, led Ferris State to the D2 national title; few Division I offers.
  • Now, after an injury to Ole Miss’s starter, he’s averaging 325 pass yards and 80 rush yards per game, and has Ole Miss in the top 5.

• Portal Missed Opportunity:

  • Big Ten schools were “too settled at quarterback” post-spring, with 15 of 18 teams happy at the position.
  • “By the time you got to April post spring practice in the Big Ten, everybody felt pretty good... Ferris State in Michigan, it’s a kid from Michigan who’s right here and he’s setting the SEC on fire.” (36:29)
  • Ole Miss landed him as a backup; Temple (which offered big NIL and to build their offense around him) lost out.

• Broader Implications:

  • “Your backup quarterback spot is one of the 10 most important spots on your roster, especially if you really think about being a playoff contender.” (38:35)
  • “Congratulations to the South. You plucked a quarterback from the North... What could have been.” (42:50)
  • Reflects on the randomness and missed connections of college football’s transfer and recruitment process.

Memorable Quotes

• “I’m almost ready to assign blame... the North and the Big Ten missed on him from strength. There wasn’t a spot for him.” (36:21)
• “Temple’s like, ‘We knew we had him. We were going to build our program around him.’ And Ole Miss came in at the last second and swiped him.” (44:00)
• “But Ole Miss only looked at him as a backup. And now here we are and Trinidad Chambliss is, like, in the Heisman race.” (40:05)

Key Timestamps

• Chambliss’s statistical profile: [31:44–33:16]
• Portal journey and missed Big Ten fit: [34:10–37:45]
• Broader transfer/NIL discussion: [38:35–42:00]

3. Paul Finebaum for Senate? The Role and Value of Sports Media

Topic: Doug reacts to news that longtime SEC media personality Paul Finebaum is considering a Senate run—questioning whether sports figures belong in political office and reflecting on the deeper value of sports talk.

Key Points & Evidence

• Skepticism about sports talkers in politics:

  • “I just would say, I hope our country is not heading towards a world where we’re just voting for sports commentators.” (48:20)
  • Sports journalism plays a valuable, if limited, role: it's about building community, offering escape and happiness—not running the country.

• On the real value of sports during tragedy:

  • In reference to Finebaum’s claim of feeling “numb” discussing sports after a tragedy, Doug argues:
    • “In times when people are down, I think that’s actually when we… provide the greatest service. Because we are a distraction. We only matter in terms of making people happy, building community, helping you get away from the tough things in your life.” (51:11)

• Caution against crossing lanes:

  • “The answer to America’s woes, whatever they may be, are not people who talk about sports running for office... I just hope we can do better than that.” (55:02)
  • Calls for more respect for real public service and for keeping expertise in proper context.

• Self-awareness about sports talk’s real place:

  • “We never matter. But we actually can matter the most when the times are toughest.” (53:30)
  • “I think we can have people with a little more expertise.” (55:19)

Memorable Quotes

• “People used to call the sports section of newspapers the toy department. ...If you’re actually doing a good job... that’s real journalism, right? But, like, you're shouting into a microphone—is that journalism? I don't know. Probably not. Probably closer to entertainment.” (49:40)
• “I don’t want a Senate full of sports talkers. God help us all.” (58:30)

Key Timestamps

• Reaction to Finebaum’s political flirtation: [47:50–57:15]
• Reflection on the role of sports in tough times: [51:00–55:30]
• Riffing on entertainment/journalism divide: [49:35–51:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ohio State’s Big Picture Role:
  “Ohio State is currently defining the season... the conversation actually in the national title race is either who's going to beat Ohio State, or Ohio State versus Oregon—collision course.” (28:31)
• On Media Double Standards:
  “I promise you, if the defending national champ team from the SEC held Texas to 7 and Washington to 6, the conversation would be ‘who’s going to stop them?’” (24:37)
• On Backup QBs:
  “Your backup quarterback spot is one of the 10 most important spots on your roster, especially if you really think about being a playoff contender.” (38:35)
• On Sports and Tragedy:
  “We never matter. But we actually can matter the most when the times are toughest.” (53:30)
• On Sports Media in Politics:
  “The answer to America’s woes... are not people who talk about sports running for office.” (55:02)

Structure & Flow

• 0:00–12:00 — Opening rant: Why Ohio State should be the national title favorite, defending against media skepticism, with comparison to Georgia 2022.
• 12:00–21:50 — Deep dive into stats, schedule, betting odds, defensive dominance, and destroying the “wide open race” narrative.
• 22:00–30:30 — Comparing current national title discourse to past SEC favorites.
• 30:35–45:50 — The Trinidad Chambliss story: D2 to SEC, portal dynamics, missed Big Ten opportunity, NIL context.
• 45:51–58:30 — The Paul Finebaum topic: reflections on politics, sports media's place in society, and the real value of what sports talk provides.

Conclusion

Doug Lesmerises uses his platform to challenge biased narratives, both celebrating Ohio State’s on-field supremacy and critiquing the college football establishment’s reluctance to acknowledge it. He highlights the quirks of player movement in college football (with Trinidad Chambliss’s story as a case in point), and closes with a thoughtful meditation on the role of sports talk—calling for perspective, humility, and a reminder of what actually matters, in both sports and society.

For Full Episode, See:
[Bill and Doug Show on Blue Wire]
For comments or further discussion: billanddugosu.substack.com