Ohio
Who should be College GameDay’s guest picker for Ohio State vs. Indiana football? Here are options
COLUMBUS — ESPN is sending College GameDay to Columbus for Saturday’s battle between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana.
Making the trip to a matchup between two of the best teams in the college football was likely an easy decision for College GameDay.
Now, a tougher choice awaits. Who will be the celebrity guest picker?
ESPN has a variety of routes it can take.
It could pursue a former Ohio State player now in the NFL.
Justin Fields, a backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose team plays on Thursday in Cleveland, is an option. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who are both on a bye, could also be available.
ESPN could pursue a non-athlete with connections to OSU.
That brings Columbus natives such as Olympic gymnast Simone Biles or restaurateur Guy Fieri into the conversation.
We asked Subtext subscribers on the cleveland.com Ohio State channel who they’d like to see as the guest picker. Here are some options they presented.
Former Ohio State football players
Justin Fields
Fields spent two seasons (2019-2020) as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. He went 20-2 with 5,373 passing yards.
Jim Tressel
Tressel spent 10 seasons as Ohio State’s coach, highlighted by the 2002 campaign in which he led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
A.J. Hawk
Hawk is a former Ohio State linebacker (2002-2005). He has a connection to ESPN as a co-host on the Pat McAfee Show. McAfee is among the panelists on College GameDay.
Garrett Wilson and/or Chris Olave
Wilson played for the Buckeyes (2019-2021) before he was taken by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jets are off this week.
The Saints, Olave’s team, are also off — giving ESPN and option to bring both on the show. In a 2020 win against Indiana, Olave and Wilson combined for 270 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave played together at Ohio State before pursuing the NFL.AP
Archie Griffin
The Buckeyes celebrated the 50th anniversary of Griffin’s first Heisman by unveiling a statue outside of Ohio Stadium in August. He’s the only two-time Heisman winner.
Cris Carter
OSU receiver Jeremiah Smith has spent all season breaking Carter’s freshman receiving records. The former Buckeye also spent time working at ESPN on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown.
Cam Heyward
Like Fields, Heyward is a former Buckeye now with the Steelers. Pittsburgh plays at Cleveland on Thursday, giving Heyward an uncommon Saturday off in November.
Orlando Pace
Pace was a two-time unanimous All-American during his time at Ohio State (1994-1996). The former offensive tackle was a Heisman finalist in 1996.
Braxton Miller
Miller, a former Ohio State quarterback (2011-2015), was twice named the Big Ten’s most valuable player.
Cardale Jones
Jones was the third-string quarterback for Ohio State entering the 2014 season with Miller as the starter. However, injuries to Miller and J.T. Barrett forced Jones into the starting role. He helped lead the Buckeyes to a national title.
Cardale Jones helped lead Ohio State football to a national title in 2014.AP
Craig Krenzel
Krenzel was the starting quarterback for Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team.
Maurice Clarett
Clarett was also part of the Ohio State team in 2002, delivering one of the best freshman seasons in program history. The running back has been a fixture around the Buckeyes this season.
Celebrities with connections to Ohio or Ohio State
JD Vance
Vance was elected earlier this month to serve as the next Vice President alongside Donald Trump. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State.
Simone Biles
Biles has collected seven Olympic gold medals in her decorated career. Her football fandom is evident too as she’s married to Bears safety Jonathan Owens.
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio.cleveland.com
Guy Fieri
Fieri is a famous restaurateur known for his shows on Food Network. He was born in Columbus in 1968.
Jason Day
Day, a professional golfer, won the PGA Championship in 2015. He was born in Australia but lives in Westerville, Ohio.
Bryce Harper
Harper, a star for the Philadelphia Phillies, is from Nevada and didn’t attend Ohio State. However, his wife played soccer for the Buckeyes.
J.K. Simmons
Simmons spent much of his childhood living in Worthington, Ohio. The actor is known for his role in various films, including, “Whiplash” which earned him an Oscar in 2014.—
R.L. Stine
Stines is the writer of the novel series, “Goosebumps.” He was born in Columbus and attended Ohio State.
Greg Oden
Oden is a native of Indiana who attended Ohio State before becoming the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Greg Oden played basketball at Ohio State for one season before becoming the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buster Douglas
Douglas is a decorated former heavyweight boxer. He was born in Columbus.
Matt Rife
Rife is a comedian and actor who was born in North Lewisburg, Ohio.
Graham Rahal and/or Bobby Rahal
The Rahal name is famous around racing. Graham Rahal was born in Columbus and is an Ohio State fan. His father, Bobby Rahal, is a former Indy 500 champion (1986) who was born in Medina, Ohio.
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots, which features Columbus natives Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, once stopped a concert in 2021 to watch an Ohio State game.
John Legend
Legend, a singer and songwriter, was born in Springfield, Ohio.
Jack Nicklaus
Former professional golfer Jack Nicklaus attended Ohio State. His 18 major championships are most all-time.
Gene Smith
Smith serves as Ohio State’s athletic director for 19 years before retiring in June.
Patricia Heaton
Heaton attended Ohio State and was born in Bay Village, Ohio. She’s an Emmy-winning actress who appeared in shows such as, “Everybody Loves Raymond” and, “The Middle.”
Jake Paul
Paul, a YouTuber and boxer who recently beat Mike Tyson, is a Cleveland native.
Jeremiah Smith is having the most electrifying freshman year in the history of Ohio State football.
And now, he’s starring in Nike commercials alongside some of the greatest players in college football and the NFL.
Appearing in Nike’s new spot, “I Told You So,” Smith is featured running a route against Oregon and making his ridiculous, one-handed sideline catch against Michigan State.
The star-studded ad includes Ja’Marr Chase, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Najee Harris, and other NFL greats, alongside college standouts like Ashton Jeanty, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel.
Smith has obliterated every freshman receiving record at Ohio State and enters the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl matchup with No. 1 Oregon having caught 63 passes for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns. In Ohio State’s 42-17 win over No. 9 Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the wideout hauled in six catches for 103 yards and two statement-setting touchdowns.
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How much do you need to earn to be considered middle class in Ohio?
Defining the middle class is more complicated than it may seem, especially since the United States Census Bureau does not have an official definition for the term.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households with incomes between 67% and 200% of the median income – meaning those who earn between two-thirds and twice as much as the median household in Ohio.
According to the most recent data from 2022, middle-income households in the U.S. earned between approximately $56,600 and $169,800, Pew Research Center reported. Households earning less than $56,600 were considered lower-income, while those earning more than $169,800 were classified as upper-income.
Calculator: Are you in your Ohio city’s middle class?
In Ohio, the median income is lower than the nationwide average.
A study from the personal finance site SmartAsset earlier this year found that the middle income range for the state falls between $43,809 and $131,440, with the median household income at $65,720.
Check to see where you fall in your city.
How much do Ohio’s highest-earning households make?
To be in the top 10% of earners in Ohio, you need to make $227,669, according to Yahoo Finance. In 2024, the pre-tax salary required to be in the top 1% of earners in Ohio is $494,700, per SmartAsset.
Ohio State‘s convincing 42-17 win over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff set the stage for a blockbuster rematch between the Buckeyes and the undefeated, top-seeded Oregon Ducks.
The Buckeyes have known this rematch was looming in the quarterfinals since the CFP bracket was set, but weren’t able to look past the Vols until the final whistle.
Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”
Now set to face a fresh Oregon squad coming off a Big Ten Championship win over Penn State and a first-round bye, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day explained why this Ducks squad isn’t the same one they lost to earlier this year — and either are they.
“It’s not like we played them just a couple weeks ago,” Day said. “This was midseason, and there’s been a lot of football played since then. Like I said, I feel we’ve evolved. They’ve evolved. Different teams. So there are certainly things that you want to look at that happened in that game but also, as time’s moved on, how they’ve changed, how we’ve changed and how does that fit as we put together the game plan.
“But ultimately, we want to make sure that we’re putting together a great game plan so our guys can play fast, they understand what we’re trying to get done in terms of attacking in all three phases, and they can play with emotion and physicality.”
During the regular season, the clock literally ran out on Ohio State and left Eugene with a heartbreaking 32-31 loss. The Ducks are still undefeated heading into Saturday after edging past the Buckeyes in October.
“We’ve made adjustments coming off that game, and we worked hard to make sure that we’re putting our guys in the best position to be successful,” he continued. “We’ll do that again against these guys this week and go compete our tails off.”
The rematch between the Buckeyes and Ducks is set for 5 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day and will air live on ESPN.
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