Big Ten Network's Jake Butt joins the Buckeye Blitz

thank you so much for taking the time to join me I know you're kind of known as being a Michigan guy but you're from right down the road in Columbus so you grew up in the whole Buckeye atmosphere what are you most looking forward to for this season for Ohio State where are some areas you really think they can grow yeah uh thanks for having me I did grow up in Pickerington 15 minutes from campus Ohio State I must say never gave me a scholarship offer so I work in the fox family had some fun with Urban about that uh Buckeye fans love to remind me I never beat them as well so it's it's all fun fun banter really I just think this is such a big year for Ohio State and and you know Ryan day is as good as it gets in college football he's one I think he has the best winning percentage to start a a career maybe of all time certainly one of the best except hasn't beat Michigan and man had they beat Georgia had that field goal went in you know Miss wide wide left they're beating TCU and they win a National Championship and you look at this team and you see how many guys decided to come back on both sides of the ball as well as the additions in the transfer portal and this is you know the best roster across the board in college football and I look at quinon junkins and trayon Henderson as the best backfield in all of college football just absolutely loaded with speed power balance and then you add in will Howard who certainly he's not CJ Stroud throwing the football but he's closer to JT Barrett a guy that will just rip your heart out on third and four no no one's open down field he'll rush and get you five I don't think Talent has been the issue in the past three years for Ohio State I think they've had plenty of talent but what's really encouraging is I listen to a guy like will Howard talk and he has press conferences where he's asked about the talent and he shuts it down right away he says listen we don't want to be known as a a talented team this year we want to be known for our toughness and our physicality and I I contrast that to Kyle McCord who said before the Michigan game last year hey win or lose it's just another game I get it you can't say that but will Howard is saying all the right things that you want to hear in Columbus so you have a extremely loaded roster with a quarterback that understands what it takes what is it in your mind why they haven't been able to get over that hump while they haven't beat Michigan in recent years while they haven't captured that National Championship under Ryan day it's funny you know we we talk about analytics in football we talk about X's and O's and certainly matters but like in the biggest games you know the margins are razor thin I go back to my time you know at Michigan when I already said I was 0 and4 I lost 4241 in 2013 the JT was short game in 2016 uh there's there's like a self-fulfilling prophecy that goes on in your head you know and and as Trends come about in the Rivalry you have to overcome not just that game but in some sense the past as well I also think about little decisions in the game you know Chiron Moore the standing head coach last year he went for it on Fourth and and one twice in the same Drive Ryan Day at the 50 yd line decided to punt on Fourth and two I think they're going to have a much more physical run game this year and you have Quin Shaw junkins trayon Henderson and a will Howard that can run the ball I love the sexiness of throwing it to Jeremiah Smith and a mecha abuka do that all day long but there there's got to be a certain sense to say we're Ohio State you know we see ourselves as the kings of the Big 10 we're going to do what we want to do and you have to stop us do you think that the pressure is mounting on Ryan Day right now that he's in a little bit of a hot seat headed into this year it's weird cuz I don't want to say a Hot Seat but is the pressure mounting like yeah I think he's probably under the most pressure of any coach at any level of football it's like at being at the poker table all the chips are on the table at this point like there's no there's there's nowhere to run or hide you know your rival Michigan is entering a year where they're replacing everybody you return everybody they're replacing our whole their whole staff you go out and get Chip Kelly there's so many signs that say Man Ohio State Should roll through the Big 10 this year win the conference and win a National Title with that comes pressure because that's always the expectation in Columbus and they haven't done it big shake up when you look at the big 10 as a whole with the addition of four new teams how do you think that's going to play a factor this season it's just a deeper more competitive conference that the schedules they there's nowhere to run there's nowhere to hide you know Ohio State's going to play Michigan every year that's going to be a big game Ohio state has to travel out to Eugene Oregon to a loaded Dan Landing Le Oregon Ducks roster on the road that's that's the new Big 10 like this is this is this is what's going to be the the expectation in the standard going forward there's really never going to be an easy schedule