Land-Grant Podcast Network: An Ohio State University podcast

We talked about our takeaways from the game, whether anything changed our opinion of the team, and more

Ohio State gets a favorable matchup with Maryland, while Cole and Joey discuss the biggest surprises of the season and make their College Football Playoff top four picks. Ohio State is back in action Saturday, taking on Maryland at 4:15 p.m. ET on BTN. The Buckeyes enter as 34.5-point favorites, and after a dominant defensive performance against Iowa, this one could get out of hand quickly. Maryland enters at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The Terrapins opened the season with wins over Hampton and UConn before losses to Virginia Tech, UCLA and Nebraska. Maryland was particularly ugly in its 51-point loss to UCLA, losing 54-3. The numbers don't exactly inspire confidence, either. The Terrapins are averaging 30.4 points per game while allowing 30.2, and they rank 80th nationally in total offense while converting just 35 percent of their third downs. Quarterback Malik Washington has thrown for seven touchdowns and six interceptions, while Maryland has split the workload in the backfield between Iverson Howard and Dejuan Williams. Chris Durr Jr. has been the team's top receiving threat with 42 catches for 461 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, five-star Maryland commit Zion Elee has been one of the few bright spots, already recording two sacks this season. We also made our picks for the current College Football Playoff top four, breaking down which teams we believe have done enough to establish themselves as legitimate national championship contenders. And, of course, we had plenty more to discuss before Ohio State heads to Maryland on Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State took care of business against Iowa on Saturday, winning 31-14 and getting back on track in a big way after a concerning defensive performance against Illinois. Cole got the exact score right, so naturally we had to talk about that first. The Buckeyes jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after Kenyatta Jackson Jr. recorded a strip sack that was recovered by Alliegro. Two plays later, Julian Sayin found McCuin over the middle for a touchdown, and Ohio State never looked back. The offense struggled at times to finish drives, but Ryan Day’s ability to win the “Middle 8” once again proved to be one of his biggest strengths. Ohio State scored a touchdown in the final 10 seconds of the first half before adding 21 unanswered points after Iowa had cut the lead to 10-6. Julian Sayin was once again excellent, while Jeremiah Smith continued to make his case as one of the best receivers in the country. The Jacksons also had a big day, with Jakobi, Bo and Kenyatta all making an impact. Qua Russaw and James Smith were two of the Alabama transfers who stood out, while John Walker and Eddrick Houston continued to show why there are high expectations for Ohio State’s defensive line. Simeon Caldwell also played well, and Cam Calhoun appears to have firmly established himself as the clear backup at strong slot corner over Dominick Kelly. Jordan Thomas also got into the game. After Illinois put up 500 yards of offense, there were plenty of questions about Ohio State’s defense heading into Iowa. Those questions were answered pretty emphatically. The Buckeyes held Iowa to just 238 total yards, forced a fumble and interception, went 5-for-11 on third down and, most importantly, held the Hawkeyes to under 40 rushing yards. That was the biggest takeaway for us. Ohio State looked much more physical up front and much more comfortable defensively. There was plenty happening around the country this weekend. Minnesota at Michigan Penn State gets blown out by Northwestern Alabama at Mississippi State Missouri at Florida USC at Washington Maryland at Nebraska And yes, we had to talk about Northwestern. Why in the world is Chip Kelly there? That said, with the new stadium, the money coming into the program and the resources around Penn State, we’re making a bold prediction. The Wildcats will play in a Big Ten Championship Game within the next five years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Connor is back from Ohio State Men’s Basketball Media Day with a ton of new information and we discuss all of it

Ohio State is 3-1 and heads to Iowa City for a top-15 matchup against an undefeated Iowa team. The Hawkeyes are coming off a dramatic 20-19 win over Michigan and have one of the nation’s best defenses, allowing just 8.0 points per game. Iowa has been balanced offensively, averaging 215.5 rushing yards and 213.5 passing yards per game. Quarterback Hank Brown has completed 68% of his passes for 700 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions, while Kamari Moulton leads the rushing attack with 284 yards at more than seven yards per carry. But the defense is what makes this Hawkeye team dangerous. Iowa ranks second nationally in scoring defense at just 8.0 points per game, setting up a major test for an Ohio State offense that has been rolling early in the season. Joey: Control the line of scrimmage. Ohio State cannot let Iowa dictate the pace of this game. The Buckeyes need to establish the run, win first and second down and force Iowa to throw the football early and often. Cole: The other key will be getting production from the wide receivers outside of Jeremiah Smith. If Ohio State can consistently win those matchups, it will make life much easier for Julian Sayin and the entire offense. Joey: Ohio State 27, Iowa 14 Cole: Ohio State 31, Iowa 14 Ohio State and Iowa kick off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET from Kinnick Stadium, with the game airing on CBS. College GameDay will also be in Iowa City for the matchup. (7) Alabama @ (16) Mississippi State (8) Florida @ (25) Missouri (4) Miami @ Clemson (10) BYU @ TCU Washington @ (18) USC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices