Welcome back to what we like to call The Ruckus, but only because this segment of the site leads to lively discussion and debate, not because anyone is trying to shake up the world.

In this fourth installment, editor Jeff Rapp sits down with on-air cohort Dave Maetzold of 610 WTVN of Columbus. Maetzold not only serves as a frequent host for that top AM station, he also served as a sports anchor for WCMH-TV (Ch. 4) and has covered Ohio State football since the mid-1990s.

Through the halfway point of the regular season, the Buckeyes (6-0) have handled all challenges and moved up to the top of both major polls. That’s when Rapp and Maetzold discussed Ohio State’s outlook with a back-loaded schedule and a very large target awaiting the Buckeyes.

We pick up their off-air discussion at the WTVN studio:

Rapp: OK, so 12-0, Dave. Easy pickings, right?

Maetzold: No. What always happens is in the preseason Ohio State fans get caught up into thinking, “Oh, my God. Here we go. This is going to be a great season. We’re going to roll right straight through. Let’s make our reservations for Glendale right now.” Then something happens like happened (at Illinois) that makes you say, “Well, we do need to develop this.” And if you think you saw it against Illinois, wait until you go to Camp Randall. The issues really are going to surface at that point, I think.

Rapp: I always say it’s really hard to pick 12-0 for a season. It doesn’t matter how good it looks on paper because, you’re exactly right, you can’t account for injuries and momentum and certain things happen and don’t develop. But I do think if Terrelle Pryor can go out and show that he’s healthy enough that Jim Tressel will lean right on him like a pogo stick and try to bounce him all the way in.

But they’re going into some tough, tough places. I actually think Iowa is almost a 1A team in the Big Ten. I like them a lot right now. And they kind f got their mess out of the way, if you will, at Arizona. They’ve had one bad half of one quarter and that’s all they had.

I think Ohio State can survive at Wisconsin but right now there are a lot of question marks with this team.

Maetzold: Here’s the other thing, Jeff. We’ve been talking about riding Terrelle Pryor since the Rose Bowl. Terrelle Pryor is going to take Ohio State to the Promised Land. I haven’t seen anything out of him that has surpassed what anybody else has done nationally. Mark Ingram certainly has done a great job. LaMichael James has been fantastic. He’s putting up unbelievable numbers. And just look a little north to Denard Robinson. I know Ohio State fans don’t want to do it. But those are guys who are leading their teams and leading their teams in an exceptional way.

Terrelle Pryor is improved, and it’s true he’s been better with his passing mechanics and all that stuff, but I haven’t seen the phenomenal football player who’s going to lead his football team to the Promised Land just yet. And now he’s hurt.

I don’t know. I’m not as convinced as I was earlier.

Rapp: Well, the Heisman thing just needs to go away now. I don’t know if the Ohio State fans get it yet. I think you’re right. I think they’re looking at that (schedule) magnet on the refrigerator and going “win, win, win … ” Hey, I used the term survive and advance. That’s kind of what the Illinois game was. I never felt like they were in true danger of losing the game, but it’s kind of advance when you’re not hitting on all cylinders.

And we need to stop talking about the Heisman Trophy, I felt if he did have a good year and they go 12-0, he’d go to New York. I vote for the Heisman and I haven’t had a moment yet this year where he’s made a play and I told myself, “Oh, he’s a Heisman winner.” Maybe that will change.

Maetzold: The Eastern Michigan game, he’s part of six touchdowns. He scored a rushing touchdown and caught one and all that kind of stuff. Do any one of those stand out in your mind other than the throw-back pass from Hall?

Rapp: Well, the 53-yard is pretty impressive when you think about it but he did it so easily …

Maetzold: And it was against a middle school defense.

Rapp: They had such a bad defense it was almost comical, like, “Really, you can’t get within 10 yards of him at any point on this run?” No one could even breathe on him.

Maetzold: Yeah, I haven’t seen that spectacular play yet out of Terrelle Pryor and now he doesn’t have that burst, at least we are led to believe that because of his quad injury. So will he be able to break loose again like he did at Illinois? I don’t know. And he is Ohio State’s entire offense. If you look at the stats now he leads virtually every category he can lead, and now he’s hurt.

So who picks up the slack? Boom Herron? I hope so. But we don’t know.

Rapp: Or maybe this defense can do what the Pittsburgh Steelers did without Ben Roethlisberger and just completely take over and take the football away.

Maetzold: Then it becomes 2002, and can Ohio State really live through another season like 2002?

Rapp: Well, it’s a good question because, again, I don’t know if the fans realize we’re already into a grind here. I don’t know if there’s too many easy games left at this point.

A month ago, the Purdue game, I would have just put a check mark on that because it’s a revenge game and it’s in Columbus and I still think Ohio State should be OK in that game but you don’t know.

Maetzold: I’m going to put Purdue in the win column because they’ve already lost their quarterback, their tailback and their best receiver.

Rapp: Yeah, that’s probably a good point (they both laugh).

Maetzold: That’s probably going to be a little bit of a problem.

Rapp: You’re right about the home-and-away structure of the schedule because if there’s one thing Ohio State fans are very good about it’s when they sense their team is in trouble or an underdog or needs a little bit of a push, they are awesome in that stadium. I almost like it when they’re an underdog at home because you’re guaranteed of having a spine-tingling crowd.

I was a student in the ’80s and was at that Illinois game when they came back from 24-0 and that Iowa game in the rain. Those are two of the best environments I’ve ever been in.

But, see, this is the problem with the No. 2 ranking and the expectations that you’re talking about. Now it’s almost like you’re supposed to go out and win 50-10 every week. These fans need to get that out of their head because there are issues with this team.

Maetzold: That’s why I wouldn’t mind seeing them come down a peg in the rankings. Knock them down to 3, knock them down to 4. Put them behind both Oregon and Boise State and really piss them off. Then you’ll see a more passionate football team come out and try to knock the hell out of people because they’ll want to get that No. 2 ranking back and they’ll want to get to No. 1.

Rapp: Yeah, and it’s getting to be that time of year when we start talking about Harris Interactive polls and the BCS formula, which is another sidetrack. This team, though, Dave, has been pretty good about being focused and following the lead of the seniors and the head coach, who are extremely on-point human beings. So is that enough to carry them through.

Maetzold: Man, I don’t know. We saw a very focused and mature, very goal-oriented national championship-oriented team protect a four-point lead in the fourth quarter on the road at Illinois. There are going to be tougher tests. Iowa and Wisconsin are going to be tougher tests. I don’t think Penn State is going to be much of a challenge but playing them is still going to be a test.

Ask me when we know how healthy Terrelle Pryor is when we really know what the extent of that injury is. That’s a thigh injury that he said hurt a lot and he was warned up and he was ready to go. We’ll see what it’s like. That could be a real aggravating injury and you’re talking about a guy who depends upon his legs so much.

Rapp: Here’s another thought, Dave: Here we go again where Northwestern is off to a nice start and suddenly has squeaked into the polls. Ohio State doesn’t play them. Michigan State has gotten over some mental hurdles. Sometimes it seems like they can’t get out of their own way but that is changing. They make it happen in the Notre Dame game and then they come out and play well again and beat Wisconsin. Ohio State doesn’t play them.

Does that scare you? It could be another 8-0 deal like we had in 1995 or 2002.

Maetzold: That’s really, really interesting and another motivation to get Ohio State to take care of business. Also it could be motivation for other teams who are looking at that and going, “Let’s do Michigan State a favor and knock these guys off” because Ohio State already does have a huge target on its back. If you throw that into the mix it even gets harder.

Rapp: So in wrapping up, let me ask you this: What is your biggest concern going forward other than Pryor’s health right now?

Maetzold: Developing a running game. I don’t think you’re going to have your senior tailback run for 14 yards on eight carries again.

Rapp: Way too many runs or 0 yards and 1 yard. That’s glaring. I’ll go way off the board. I’ve always touted this defense. I like the way they’re coached and I like the way they play. I just don’t know if we really know if this is a championship defense. I think it is. I certainly like the guys at the top of the heap when you’re looking at Cameron Heyward. I think Nathan Williams is on his way to a really nice year …

Maetzold: Uh-huh.

Rapp: And obviously Homan and Rolle are proven.

Maetzold: John Simon. John Simon is playing his way in there.

Rapp: I agree. And there’s experience in the secondary. So I’m not down on these guys at all, but let’s see. They’re going to play some teams that can really wing the ball. Can they really shut that down like past Ohio State defenses? I don’t know.

Maetzold: And one more injury and they are really in trouble. One of those linebackers goes down and it’s tough. But I think they are a little deeper and I think Big Hank (Jonathan Hankins) is going to step in and be more of a factor. So that will be big. But one more injury and look out. Then the parts are really falling off and they’ve got to do some retooling, if you will.