Bobby Carpenter, Former Ohio State/Dallas Cowboys Linebacker

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Download the Odyssey app today. Bobby, appreciate the time. How you been? I've been good, man. I mean, heck, we're kind of sad to tell you the truth. I mean, college football season is coming to an end here in the next couple of weeks, at least the regular season. The NFL, we're right in the middle of it and it's injury season, so watching some of these teams just get smoked because they've lost five players in the same position can be tough.

Yeah, no doubt about that. You know, for your Ohio State team, where's the confidence level? Give me a pulse of the fan base after getting blown out by Michigan a year ago at the Big House and now the entire year it was clear like three or four weeks in Ohio State, Michigan, both those teams going to be undefeated next week going up against one another. Yeah, I mean, this week I think everyone feels good because you've got Maryland tomorrow and you're basically a four-touchdown favorite.

You know, I think after that there is probably some tepid optimism, a sense of like uneasiness, uncertainty. I mean, you've got to think for the last 20 years Ohio State's won 17 of these guys and then all of a sudden, you know, last season not only did you lose, but you got beat up physically and they took it to you a little bit. And so every game this year, you know, Ohio State was not being judged by the opponent they were playing. They were being judged on their performance of would they be able to stop the run against Michigan and would they be able to run the ball against Michigan.

And it's a crazy exercise each and every week to kind of go through that. But that's where we are and that's the reality, the fact that you've got two top five teams playing. And should they both take care of business on Saturday, I believe it will be the fifth time since 1936, I think when they moved the game to the final game of the season where both teams have entered unbeaten or untied. So there's a lot riding on this and, you know, I think Buckeye Nation is confident, but yet very, there's a level of concern too. When you get to the mental side of this, and I know the opponents this year for both teams have not been the greatest, but you still got to find the way to win each and every game and you can't have a down performance because then you really put yourself behind the eight ball. Like how stressful do you think that is, the players where we're so early on in the year? And I know it's always Ohio State, Michigan, but this year it was, yeah, who even cares what happens on the field in these games? We know what we expect to be the matchup at the end of the year. You know, Ryan Day, the question actually came up to him and he made a great point.

March Madness starts for us Labor Day weekend. You can't really lose. He's like, you're getting judged every week. He was like, heck, it's not even if you win, it's do you win by enough?

Did you cover a crazy unreasonable spread or something like that? I mean, those are the questions that he's being asked every week as he's going through this. So that's some of the stuff that he's got to deal with with what's going on. So, yeah, I mean, each and every week is March Madness, is March Madness for them. They've got to sit there and they've got to win every game, look impressive. And so, yeah, I mean, this is the game that really everything matters. But Ryan also said, he's like, if you don't win a game coming up to this and you're not playing for a chance to go to the college football playoff, you're not playing for a chance to go to a Big Ten championship, then you know what?

You're disappointed with that as well. Talking to Bobby Carpenter right now, has the fan base at all started to turn on Ryan Day a little bit? Because we know he's been a really good coach ever since taking over for Urban Meyer, got to that national championship during the COVID season, but they've been the kind of the feel of a team that's just been in the playoffs and you're waiting and waiting and waiting for that national championship. Well, I mean, if you feel like you're waiting for a national championship, that means at least you're close. Ryan had a tough, almost an impossible expectation or incredibly tough. There's only been one team in college football history that has had three successive coaches win national championships, to my knowledge, and that was LSU with Saban, Miles and Orgeron. And Ohio State had Jim Trestle win in his second year, Urban won it in his third.

Ryan now, I believe, entering his fourth or fifth, if I'm not mistaken. So, yeah, there's an expectation where, you know what, you've been close, that's been great, but it's time to eventually try to kick the door in. And Ryan understands, he doesn't run from it, he doesn't hide from it. He always talks about our goals, to beat Michigan, to win the Big Ten and win a national championship.

I know that's the expectation here. They brought in Jim Knowles this offseason and, you know, to fix the defense. Ryan was not going to sure-cut what happened and wouldn't have a better defense. Defense has been much better, but coming into the season, people were like, how long is it going to take? And Jim Knowles goes, I don't have, you know, a year to fix this.

Heck, I don't even have six games. Like, people are going to want this defense fixed right now. And that's the expectation that they have here, right, wrong or indifferent. You know, you get a lot of publicity with it. You're compensated well.

There's tons of recognition. But with all of those things comes the fact that there's pressure to ultimately go out there, not just win, but win national championships. How would you, Bobby Carpenter, describe the year C.J. Stroud is having and how do you think his game translates to the next level? C.J. is an elite thrower of the football. You know, he can run if he needs to. He's not a run-first guy. I mean, he's not the athlete that Justin Fields is. When you watch him run around out there for the Bears because they have no other weapons, you know, that's not really C.J.

's bag and that's not something he's really able or capable of doing. But, I mean, he throws a really good ball. Ryan runs an NFL-style system.

I mean, get-through reads. It's really tough to project how guys move. I know that this, like, any time you're a starter for just one season, I always get worried about that. And I think that was one of the issues, you know, with the late Dwayne Haskins. I think Mitch Trubisky, you know, had that issue a little bit. Like, when you literally are a shooting star, you never have to come back that next year and manage the expectations of being great.

And so C.J. 's had to deal with that where, you know, he has a game where he maybe doesn't look unreal. He's 22 of 28 and missed some, you know, big throws and he put one in the dirt. People are going to be upset with that because they expect you to be a Heisman finalist and heck, probably win a Heisman Trophy.

The odds are in favor right now of most of the sportsbooks. So, you know, I think he has everything it takes, but it's just, you know, will he be good in the NFL? Well, that is going to come down to him. It comes down, as they say in Top Gun Mavericks, to the man in the box. Right now, what's the difference between Ohio State and Michigan? Like, when that game gets played next week, assuming everyone stays healthy, which, you know, it's week to week when it comes to that, how do you think that game plays out right now? Well, I think defensively at both teams. Michigan lost a lot on defense.

Pajabo, Hutchinson, I mean, they up front, but they're still really good. I mean, they've been dominating teams defensively. I think them and Ohio State are both ranked in the top ten and top – top ten on offense and defense of most statistical metrics. Ohio State's defense has been much improved from last year and you get a really good play from the linebackers and Eichenberg and Steel Chambers, which has been a big, big asset to them. And the defensive line is starting to really pick it up. I mean, so defensively, I think both of these teams are solid. The thing is, on offense, you know, they're both really good and they put up a lot of points in a lot of yards, but, you know, they couldn't do it with more contrasting styles. Michigan's going to want to pound you on the ground with Cora McDonovan and let those guys run wild, get them going in the passing game.

There's some play action stuff. You know, Ohio State, they can throw it all over anyone. They've got the best receivers in college football. You know, but Ryan understands that there's times where you're going to have to run it. And last year, you know, there was inclement weather for the game. This year it looks to be good, but you have no idea.

It's the Midwest. You know, who knows what could happen. And so they've made a concerted effort to try to run the ball, get tougher in short yardage situations. I think that that's happened. No one's going to truly know until the game.

You know, so that's kind of – you know, there's shortcoming a little bit. And then Michigan's is, you know, can they push the ball down the field with J.J. McCarthy? He's a great athlete. He can hit guys underneath.

But he's had some accuracy issues on deep balls, and that's kind of prevented them from maybe blowing more games open. Who are your four teams? Who do you think is going to be in the college football playoff when we find that out in a few weeks?

Oh, gosh. I would say Georgia's in. I mean, almost regardless of what they do now, I think they're making it in, even if they somehow lost to LSU. The winner of Ohio State, Michigan, I think, obviously is getting in. I would say Ohio State, I would give it a slight lean to that right now. You know, TCU, if they go undefeated, they're getting in. I don't think there's a team on their schedule left that's capable of beating them. Maybe Baylor if they'll play their very best.

I think that there's a chance that they could maybe get it done. It will be interesting to see, you know, if North Carolina or Clemson, depending on how they play, if they have a shot of getting in. I tend to believe that the ACC's been all but eliminated based upon where they've been.

Agreed. But I think you get that second SEC team. USC, like, they've got a path. USC could potentially be playing, you know, they're playing UCLA.

They're playing Notre Dame. And then they've also got a chance to play, you know, the next top-ranked team in the Pac-12, which there could be another top-10, top-12 team. So if they win those three, they get in. I don't think that they ultimately win those three. I think you have two SEC schools with Georgia and probably Tennessee, Ohio State and probably TCU. You know, I'm curious to see if it goes this way. Like, let's just say the ACC doesn't get in because I don't think they have a path to get into the college football playoff this year.

I agree with you. I tend to think USC is going to drop another game. So then the Pac-12 is out. If you have Georgia and Tennessee in, winner Ohio State and Michigan, and then let's just say TCU drops the game, do you get two Big Ten teams in? Do you get both Ohio State and Michigan in if they play a close game? Yeah, I think that there's a good chance of that. I know people, there were some people that were really upset.

I do an XM show with Jacob Hester in 84. And there were people that were furious, like, there's no way they put them in over a one loss ACC team. Like Notre Dame, who Ohio State beat, smoked Clemson in a way that no one thought could happen.

They pounded them with a football and they beat North Carolina by two scores. Like, so if you start talking about this, like, I don't know how good the ACC is. I think that there's, I don't know if there's a great team.

I think there's a lot of good teams, but that's part of the problem is I don't think there's any elite team. And I believe the committee believes that as well. It also feels like whoever wins at Ohio State Michigan game is going to get the Heisman Trophy winner. I know that maybe if USC wins the Pac-12, then it could be Caleb Williams, but it feels like this is down right now to ever balls out between CJ Strout and Blake Corum next week. I think you're right in saying that. I do think there is a way for Drake May to potentially get there. Fair. You know, if North Carolina wins it and they smoke Clemson, he throws for 450 yards and four TDs and Strout struggles and Corum.

It's just an unimpressive game. I think that there is a pathway for that. But I do believe that, yeah, it's CJ's to lose. And if Blake Corum has 200 yards rushing and then lights it up in a Big Ten championship as well.

I think that here's a very solid path for him to get it. What's your view on the Cowboys with what you've seen so far? Do you just think they're a very good team or can you see them being a great team when it's all said and done? You know, if they would have beat Green Bay, I probably would have said they could be a great team. But, you know, their failure to produce down the stretch and make plays in critical times, you know, that's tough.

And you've got to be able to make the plays. And Aaron Rodgers is, you know, he's going to start getting hot here, I believe. But I think Dallas is really good. But I don't think that they could beat, you know, probably the top four or five teams in the NFL. Are you buying into all this talk about Odell maybe joining the Cowboys?

I think that's possible. I think Odell wants to go somewhere where he'll be a contender. I think he realized last year that, you know what, winning on a big stage and making plays there, that will do a lot more for his stock than going out and catching a ton of balls. So he always said he wanted to be with a winner. I'm curious to see how he balances that and whoever gives him the biggest deal.

Because you know what, don't be Pennywise and pound foolish. I mean, an extra million bucks this year might not matter if you can get an extra 10 million, you know, over the life of maybe a three-year deal if you play really well and on a contender. So I could see it potentially happening. I'm curious to see how Green Bay tries to make him a push for him. If they start playing well, if you put him up there, all of a sudden now, you know, you get some action going with his wideout, that would be a pretty dangerous group as well.

And last thing for you, Bobby Carpenter. Where's the concern at with the Buffalo Bills losing the last two games, Jets and then that crazy game up against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. They had the Browns, but that game's getting moved to Detroit because of the weather. Yeah, I'm kind of disappointed they moved it, man. I mean, nothing would have been more Buffalo than, you know, three feet of snow. There's a reason why they have an open-air stadium.

There's a reason why they've always played it there. You know, and I know now with Josh Allen, like, you know, you want to be able to throw the ball because they've got a great passing offense. But, dude, he can spin it in the snow and cold as well as anybody.

I'm not overly concerned. He's got to clean up a little bit of his red zone stuff. He doesn't have to feel like he needs to win the game on his own.

And, you know, I don't know, like Buffalo, you could argue that, yeah, you got to get stops. I mean, Justin Jefferson made some ridiculous catches. And, you know, Kirk Cousins seems to be, you know, on another level.

I mean, I think the Kirk Thuggins is maybe more real than we realize. I like how you put that. Bobby Carpenter, appreciate the time. Thanks so much. Hey, anytime.

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Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team. Your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real-time updates on everything you care about. Miss your show?

Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand. Wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today.