Week One Camp Takeaways and the Pros, Cons of Big Ten Expansion

Real Pod Wednesdays

Ohio State is nearly one week into preseason camp and two more teams are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

That gives us plenty to talk about on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays as Chase Brown joins Dan Hope to discuss the most notable things we’ve seen and heard during the first six days of preseason camp and weigh the pros and cons of the Big Ten continuing to expand by adding Oregon and Washington in addition to USC and UCLA.

(Note: This podcast was recorded before Gene Smith announced he will retire as Ohio State’s athletic director next year.)

The timeline for this week’s conversation:

• 1:51: It was fun to see fans at practice for a change, and we hope to see that continue
• 3:53: Sonny Styles and Ja’Had Carter getting first-team reps isn’t a surprise, but where they lined up was
• 8:05: If Styles starts at nickel, we expect Cameron Martinez or a cornerback to play some snaps there too
• 14:08: Josh Proctor, Malik Hartford also among candidates to be in the “six plus one” at safety
• 18:49: We don’t know how much Buckeyes will rotate in secondary, but the good news is they can
• 21:04: Ohio State doesn’t necessarily need C.J. Hicks to play, but it should still find a role for him
• 33:46: Kourt Williams doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, but linebacker should fit his game well
• 38:54: Tywone Malone looks increasingly poised to make immediate impact at defensive tackle
• 41:49: Zen Michalski takes the first reps at right tackle, but that doesn’t mean he’s won the starting job
• 47:06: We haven’t seen enough yet to draw any conclusions about the quarterback competition
• 54:06: Adding Oregon and Washington is a win for Big Ten football, but not college sports as a whole
• 1:00:45: The Big Ten’s next round of expansion seems likely to be schools from the ACC
• 1:05:56: The Big Ten is in a position of power now, but it wasn’t always guaranteed to go that way
• 1:11:38: More competition in Big Ten will ensure regular season still matters even with CFP expansion
• 1:18:46: FBS football should have its own governing body, but that won’t undo damage to other sports