Saturday Skull Session: Go Away, Bye Week

By D.J. Byrnes on October 11, 2014 at 6:00 am
michael bennett da gawd
85 Comments

***Today's Skull Session will be rendered as soon as I get done shaking my melon-sized head at Florida State and the state of Florida. I was kidding about Todd Gurley being garbage, but wow, there are a lot of trashmen in Tallahassee. Why would anybody ever send their daughter there?***


For whatever reason, I've always been drawn to whatever the hell they're calling the Red River Shootout these days. My favorite moment in the rivalry? That's easy: when Big Tex caught fire. For whom do I cheer? That's easier: the underdog. 

I don't know if it will be a good game, but Texas-Oklahoma is easily the most watchable game kicking off at noon. After that, it gets a bit more appetizing. Here are the games on my radar today:

Time (ET PM) Matchup Favorite TV Internet
12:00  TEXAS vs. No. 11 OKLAHOMA OKLA (-17) ABC WatchESPN
3:30 No. 2 AUBURN at No. 3 MISSISSIPPI STATE AUB (-3) CBS CBS Sports
3:30  No. 9 TEXAS CHRISTIAN vs. No. 5 BAYLOR BAY (-8) ABC WatchESPN
3:30 No. 12 OREGON at No. 18 UCLA ORE (-3) Fox FOX Sports GO
6:00 No. 7 ALABAMA at ARKANSAS BAMA (-9½) ESPN WatchESPN
7:00 PENN STATE at MICHIGAN MICH (-1½) ESPN2 WatchESPN
9:00 No. 3 OLE MISS at No. 14 TEXAS A&M A&M (-3) ESPN WatchESPN

Obviously, I am rooting for everybody ranked higher than Ohio State to lose. (Penn State, I'm hoping y'all roll up and smoke Michigan like a gutted White Owl cigarillo stuffed with cannabis.)

TEXAS RECRUITED J.T. BARRETT AT SAFETY. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but wow did Mack Brown's QB-assessment skills deteriorate once Colt McCoy exited the program.

From Doug Lesmerises of The Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"I think J.T. would be the first to admit that I think early in the recruiting process, had the University of Texas offered him, he probably would have committed to them. But they didn't," Herman said.

Once Barrett did commit to Ohio State in April of 2012, with LSU the other primary contender, Herman remained worried about other schools swooping in. But by then, Herman had already taken advantage of the chance to get to know Barrett, a chance he wouldn't have had if the Longhorns had acted differently.

"That's one of the reasons you try to get entrenched in a relationship with a young man, to avoid those late attempts by some other schools to try to poach your guy," Herman said. "You try to hope your relationship is strong enough that whoever it may be, that's not going to happen."

Folks, this reminds me of an old Marionaire saying: One man's failed quarterback evaluation is another man's dark horse Heisman candidate.

JACK PARK LOOKS BACK. Who among us doesn't remember the boss 1954 national title-winning Ohio State team? I sure remember, because while it's not commonly known, I was 34 in 1954.

In case you need a refresher course, here's Jack Park via The Columbus Dispatch:

This season Ohio State celebrates the 60th anniversary of one of its finest teams, the national champions of 1954. Playing one of the more difficult schedules in school history, coach Woody Hayes’ team went 10-0 and outscored opponents 249-75. OSU's 21-7 come-from-behind win over an excellent Michigan team is one of the most significant ones in the rivalry.

Ohio State’s 1954 backfield was one of the school’s most talented. Senior quarterback Dave Leggett was a master at executing Hayes’ patented option play, and sophomore fullback Hubert Bobo was an excellent blocker. Leggett was backed up by co-captain John Borton, who had been the team’s starter the previous two seasons. Bobo’s understudies were senior Jack Gibbs and sophomore Don Vicic.

The Buckeyes might never have had a finer halfback tandem than junior Howard “Hopalong” Cassady and senior Bobby Watkins. Both have been inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. Cassady, an All-American and future Heisman Winner, seemingly always came through with the big play in crucial situations.

Good ol, Hopalong! I remember his dynamic runs like they were yesterday, because like I said, I was 34 in 1954.

PERTINENT HEISENBERG. The fly is to Heisenberg as bye weeks are to me, the fan not risking my body for others entertainment:

Bye weeks, like flies, are some of the worst things.

ANYONE WANNA WATCH MICHIGAN GET WHOOPED LIVE? Because you better act quick, as it looks Penn State-Michigan tickets (Michigan's best home game of the season) is a blisteringly hot ticket:

Maybe if Michigan counts car keys in their attendance figures they'll maintain their 100k+ streak.

THOSE WMDs. PIZZA HUT KUWAIT: YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR WITH THIS ONE... The home was infested with between 4,500 and 6,000 brown recluse spiders… Florida woman quits teaching assistant job, makes six-figures twerking on Vine... Well this is pretty wild... Germany gets it.

85 Comments
View 85 Comments