The Ohio State Buckeyes faithful are always ready to go to war for their program. A passionate bunch who often take their devotion to the extreme, and what better place to share that raw conversation than the Paul Finebaum show? Spirited they may be, but it has caused problems for the producers, who have rolled out some new Dos and Don’ts.

“For our sanity, only one Ohio State caller per hour,” one of the five new rules states.

You may wonder why the fans of a Big 10 program hop on to a show about another conference. Even though Finebaum doesn’t hesitate to offer his takes on anything and everything that happens in college football, his main expertise is the SEC. At the same time, he has been the flagbearer of the debate that the SEC is still better than the Big 10 despite the latter winning three national championships in a row. That draws the Big 10 crowd to his show, often to ridicule his takes.

Moreover, there are three million Buckeyes fans across the nation, and they never miss a beat to talk about their program. So when the Paul Finebaum show offers a brief window for viewer engagement and takes unfiltered calls, the Buckeye Nation is quick to jump in. The show typically runs for four hours, and hundreds of passionate fans from different fanbases call in to share their raw opinions. Exceeding the time limit can cause production delays. It’s not about what they are talking about, but for how long.

However, the latest Do’s and Don’ts were not limited to time spent discussing Ohio State players. The list also included the following pointers to save time during live broadcasts.

• No need to ask Paul how he is doing…he is fine.
• Paul can hear you…just start talking.
• Stop trying to be a legend.
• If you take a swipe at callers, don’t be surprised if they swipe back.

The OSU conversation is not the core issue for producers, because these raw, unfiltered debates make the show more entertaining and drive TRP. With the 2025 season wrapped up, the offseason will bring forth a lot of discussion on player and roster development.

The Buckeyes have lost 30 players to the transfer portal and the rest to the draft. 47 of the 91 scholarship players won’t return to Columbus next season. However, it’s not all gloom and doom. Head coach Ryan Day has added 16 players from the portal. Not just that, the incoming freshman class will have 28 additions to the locker room.

So most of the offseason talk will remain focused on these narratives and players competing for key positions. In 2025, the Buckeyes did not win the national championship. However, they are among the front-runners for the title next year.

Finebaum has already opined that the Buckeyes can win the national championship next year, and naturally, fans would love to expand on that opinion during live calls.

Paul Finebaum picks OSU as the 2026 National Title contender

Ryan Day’s 2025 season fell short with the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami. However, this season, the Buckeyes will work hard to bring the national championship back to Columbus. Much to the fans’ delight, the odds are in OSU’s favor with +600 on BetMGM.

“I think Ohio State (for the national title contender),” Paul Finebaum said on Wednesday. “I am still baffled at what happened to Ohio State, because they had the best roster in college football, but they simply couldn’t get it done. So that’s where we began this year. That’s where I think we’re going to begin in late August, when the season begins.”

Impact players such as Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin, and others are returning, along with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, to coach the defensive unit next season as well. However, it remains to be seen who will be the next OC hire after Brian Hartline’s departure to the USF Bulls.

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Besides OSU, Texas and Oregon are also picked to reach the national championship game next season.