The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State vs. Ohio Picks and Preview

Podcast: The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis
Release Date: September 11, 2025
Episode Theme: An in-depth preview and picks for Ohio State vs. Ohio University, including insight into betting trends, opponent analysis, Ohio State development goals, and classic anecdotes from Buckeyes and MAC matchups.

Episode Overview

Doug and Bill use their extensive experience covering Ohio State to deliver an engaging and knowledgeable preview of the Buckeyes' upcoming matchup against Ohio University. The conversation ranges from meaningful stats and recent form, to psychology, coaching tendencies, and a heavy dose of fan-focused fun. The duo also discusses the context and stakes for both teams, betting line movement, and which Buckeyes to watch, all while injecting banter, history, and a bit of mascot mayhem.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Game Context and Viewing Information

• Matchup: Ohio State Buckeyes (defending national champions) vs. Ohio University Bobcats
• When/Where: Saturday, 7PM, at Ohio Stadium ("The Shoe")
• Broadcast: Peacock streaming (01:21)
  • Bill: “You can get [Peacock] for like a trial or get it for a month and then cancel. We know it’s kind of a pain with streaming, but you can find it. Or don’t and come in fresh for the post-game show.”

2. Betting Lines & MAC Matchup History

• Line Movement:
  • Opened at OSU -35.5, dropped to around -31.5 to -30.5, indicating skepticism Ohio State will blow out Ohio by five touchdowns (03:03).
• Ryan Day vs. MAC Teams:
  • Ohio State's average margin vs. MAC under Day: 64-8
  • OSU routinely destroys even the best MAC teams (05:24).
  • Doug: “His teams hammer MAC teams, even good MAC teams… they put it on ‘em pretty good.”

3. Quality of Ohio University as Opponent

• Ohio University:
  • Projected as one of the top MAC teams (potential favorite with Toledo, per betting odds) (06:31).
  • Played closely with Rutgers (Big Ten bottom tier) and defeated West Virginia (Big 12 bottom tier) (07:56).
  • Bill: “If you think of it as basically right in between Grambling and Texas, is that a fair shorthand?”
  • Doug: “I think so... your three non-conference opponents kind of staggered in quality almost makes sense to me.” (09:11)

4. Buckeye Priorities & Focus for This Game

• What fans care about:
  • Most focus on Ohio State development, not opponent storylines (09:25).
  • Doug: “Mostly they want to know about their own guys, which I get.”
• Key Buckeye goals:
  • Continue developing the run game, especially for RBs (James Peoples, C.J. Donaldson, Bo Jackson).
  • Integration and evaluation of DE Logan George (Idaho State transfer expected to debut) (18:03).
  • Continue OL consistency (no sacks given up so far).
  • Evaluate punting battle (Joey McGuire vs Nick McLarty) in potential blowout second half.

5. Series & Historical Musings

• Past meetings:
  • 1899-1902: Early series, hiatus until 1999.
  • Quirky game in 2008, tight 26-14 win for OSU (12:25).
  • Brief digression about Ohio University's (OU) brief flirtation with Big Ten expansion ambitions, and the backstory behind the oversized Convocation Center (13:10).
• Mascot Mayhem:
  • The story of the Bobcat (OU mascot) tackling Brutus Buckeye in 2010 (13:35).
  • Mascot safety tangent (minor league baseball mascot got jaw broken by bat!) (15:04).
  • Bill: “Don’t overestimate how much protection a mascot head has. Right. If Lee Corso is ever walking down the street wearing a mascot head, don’t walk up and hit him with a sledgehammer…” (15:50).

6. Ohio University Offense & What Ohio State Will Face

• QB Parker Navarro (16:26):

  • Dual-threat, elite rushing QB (among FBS leaders in designed runs and scramble yards).
  • Will replicate what OSU could see vs. Washington’s Dillon Williams Jr. (next opponent).
  • Forces defense to prep for mobile QBs.
  • Doug: “This is the third straight game Ohio State will play a team with a mobile quarterback… It will give them really good preparation.”
  • Likely to run both designed plays and scrambles, especially under pressure (24:24).
  • Navarro Stat: 4th in QB rushing yards nationally entering this week.
  • Doug: “I do think it is not a coincidence…more scramble yards than he did last year. When you got these Power 4 defenses coming after you, you have to scramble more.” (24:24)
  • Throws deep ‘moon balls’ under pressure (28:46).

• Other Ohio weapons:

  • WR Chase Hendricks: 8th in FBS for receiving yards (236 yards, goes deep and intermediate).
  • RB C.A. Bangura: Respectable Power 4 stats; keeps defenses honest on RPO and zone-read.

• Offensive Line Concerns:

  • Some holes, especially at tackle (seen in Rutgers game), though protected in last week’s win over West Virginia.

• Ohio Defense:

  • G5 front that held West Virginia to <3 ypc, 5 sacks vs. Power conference foes
  • Lost three DL starters to Power Four transfers, but still decent.

7. Defensive Strategy – Containing Navarro

• OSU likely to avoid aggressive blitzing:
  • “He almost wants to run… not even sure Ohio State wants to pressure him. I think they probably want to hem him in and not run. But like, pin your ears back...you might just rush your three, spy him and make him throw on third and seven…” (25:36)
• Spy Assignment:
  • Arvell Reese likely to spy Navarro, as he did vs Arch Manning and Texas (27:24).
  • Doug: “It’s not a thing that will…make the game interestingly close… but can get frustrating, [with] less opportunity for Ohio State’s offense to work stuff out.”

8. Special OSU/OU Connections & Homecoming Vibes

• Will Kazmarik:
  • OSU tight end, transfer from OU, knows many on the roster including Navarro (19:45).
  • Notes significance for Ohio prep players: 43 Ohio natives on OU roster—this game is a career highlight for them (21:50).
  • Doug: “It’s also like, holy moly, I’m playing in the shoe… four times bigger than the largest home crowd they ever played in front of.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Doug [05:24] — “Ohio State under Ryan Day has played two MAC champions and put 70 on both of them.”
• Bill [06:31] — “They might, might take the hammer to these guys. So I think we need to understand the psychology…”
• Doug [16:26] — “Parker Navarro can really move. He’s among the best rushing QBs in the country… among FBS QBs, sixth in design run last year, tenth in scramble yards.”
• Bill [15:50] — “Don’t overestimate how much protection a mascot head has. Right. If Lee Corso is ever walking down the street wearing a mascot head, don’t walk up and hit him with a sledgehammer…”
• Doug [27:24] — “Sunny Styles was talking a little bit about that. There’s been some frustration because the ball was coming out quick, not a lot of pass rush… sometimes quarterbacks like want you to get to them in an uncontrolled fashion so they can just slip right by.”
• Doug [32:59] — “When Ohio State played Toledo in 2022… that was a quarterback who could scoot, and they didn’t handle it great.”

Picks Segment (31:00–34:08)

• Spread: OSU -30.5 or -31.5; Over/Under 51.5
• Doug’s Pick: 48–10, Ohio State
• Bill’s Pick: 48–13, Ohio State
  • Doug: “OU will move it down there a couple times… maybe both times late, Navarro will play most of the game, if he’s out there against backups, I think he can play…” (31:55)
  • Over is the preferred play for both, not betting advice.

Key Takeaways for Ohio State Fans

• Most Important Thing to Watch:
  • How OSU’s defense handles a capable, rushing-focused QB (Navarro) as prep for Washington’s Dillon Williams Jr.
• Offensive Focus:
  • Run game rhythm, showcase depth (including new DE, and potentially deeper RB room)
  • Developmental reps for young/backup Buckeyes appear likely in a game expected not to be close.

Timestamps for Reference

• [01:21] – Broadcast info & post-game show details
• [03:03] – Betting line movement & analysis
• [05:24] – Ryan Day’s MAC track record
• [07:11] – Quality/rankings of Ohio as an opponent
• [12:25] – Historical OSU-OU meetings & Big Ten anecdotes
• [13:35] – Mascot fight story, mascot safety tangent
• [16:26] – What OSU wants to get from this game; DE Logan George too
• [18:45] – OL, punting, and defensive front discussion
• [19:45] – Will Kazmarik connection, OU home crowd context
• [21:50] – 43 Ohio natives on OU; what “the Shoe” means to Bobcats
• [24:24] – Deep dive on Parker Navarro’s run-pass dual threat
• [27:24] – Defensive strategy: containment, spy, avoid blitz
• [28:46] – OU receiving/running weapons; pass distribution
• [31:00] – Picks and score predictions
• [32:59] – Parallels to previous mobile QBs vs OSU
• [34:08] – Outro and reminders about bonus shows

Summary

This episode delivers an entertaining, fan-first analysis of the upcoming Buckeyes-Bobcats showdown, balancing insight, humor, historical nuggets, and down-to-earth realism:

• Expect Ohio State to roll, but the real test is their defense’s ability to contain a dynamic QB—a dress rehearsal for Washington.
• Secondary stories: MAC upsets, crowd size realities, MPC (Mascot Protection Code), and the economics/odds of P4 vs G5 non-con play.
• Score picks: Both see a comfortable OSU win, with some late OU points.

Perfect for fans who want to know what really matters: how Ohio State is building for bigger games, and why this MAC matchup is more than just a stat-padding blowout.