Next Tuesday's Skull Session is either going to be orgasmic or Hell on earth. There will be no in between.
TV Reminder: The No. 22 men's basketball team takes on Minnesota in Minneapolis tonight (9 p.m., ESPN).
STEVE MILLER THE PROPHET. Gotta tilt the cap towards DE Steve Miller. Expected to be an early-season stopgap until Noah Spence returned from the drug abyss, Miller scraped every ounce of potential out of himself. Hell, Alabama came out of the gate trying to pick on him, and in the end, he made the Tide pay its retribution in its own blood.
He also saw it all coming.
From Austin Ward of ESPN.com:
The Ohio State defensive end had no interceptions in his career, for starters. Semifinal opponent Alabama typically took good care of the football when throwing it, as well, and if anybody was going to help swing the outcome of the Allstate Sugar Bowl on defense for the Buckeyes, Miller might have been among the last guys named.
But there was a hint that maybe the senior was on to something when he snagged a ball that had been tipped in the air during practice leading up to the matchup with the top-ranked Crimson Tide. Miller interpreted that as a sign that he would get his hands on the ball and lead No. 4 Ohio State to the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T, and his teammates were left shaking their heads and hailing him as a prophet after his game-changing touchdown.
"That’s true, man, that’s true -- he’s been calling it all week," defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said. "It’s something where he must have had the feeling. He must have watched film and seen something like, 'I’m going to get it.'
At this point, what more does anyone need to believe this team is touched by the hand of the divine? Because at this rate, Cardale Jones is going to turn GatorAde into FourLoko during Ohio State's post-game title celebrations.
SUPER SOPHS. Ohio State's scarlet championship jerseys feature black numbers on the sleeves, which is an ode to Ohio State's 1968 title team.
But, the team taking the field will bare another resemblance to the title team, and it won't be one manufactured by a sports apparel conglomerate.
From Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com:
The "Super Sophs" of 1968 who led Ohio State to a national title in their second years in Columbus were understandably foreign to these modern Buckeyes. The past can be hard to grasp for 20-year-olds. That Jack Tatum, Rex Kern, Jim Stillwagon, Tim Anderson and John Brockington,among nine sophomore starters, formed the heart of Ohio State's Rose Bowl winners and undefeated national champs 46 years ago was news.
From true sophomores like Dontre Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Joey Bosa to redshirt freshmen like Jalin Marshall and Darron Lee... Ohio State's future is so bright it couldn't be effectively harnessed by all the solar panels on the west coast.
"We could have a dynasty, man, we could start a dynasty," [Dontre] Wilson said. "If we pull this one off, next year we'll be ranked pretty high, and I'm sure we aren't going to lose any slack."
"We have guys across the board that can just straight out play," [Eli] Apple said. "Very talented guys. And to me, it was like championship or bust. If we don't win two or more championships, we didn't get our jobs done."
All I will say is this: Ohio State haters are in for a nuclear winter if/when King Dolodale capstones his this trench run next Monday in Arlington.
SHARP MONEY ON THE BUCKS. Disagree if you must, but I always love when I hear about "the sharps" — ANY SHARPS — fancying my favorite sport team:
Per Bovada, 70 percent of the early money on Oregon. Line holding firm at 7, though, because book seeing "some sharp bettors on Ohio State"
— Dave Briggs (@DBriggsBlade) January 5, 2015
If I wasn't a hypocritical coward, I'd put February's rent on the Ohio State money line. (Alas, y'all know how that ends.)
JOEY GALLOWAY, STILL BALLIN. True story: In 2009, Joey Galloway was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers after Limas Sweed got injured. At the time, my buddy played basketball up at some rec center in Dublin. Allegedly, all the "hoopers" there wanted to throw a party when Galloway got signed because everybody was tired of getting trashed by a dude closer to 60 than 20.
The look when my man @DLeeMG8 says he can beat me in a 40 yd dash. pic.twitter.com/KOmypgkex7
— joey galloway (@Joey_Galloway) January 5, 2015
Could Devin Smith, or any current Buckeye, beat Joey Galloway (right now) in a 40-yard dash? I wouldn't make that bet.
IS THAT YOU, HARBAUGH? Harbaugh is a "former NFL assistant coach now in college," after all.
Former NFL asst. coach now in college likes #Buckeyes to win because of Cardale, D-line and Ezekiel Elliott, "best back in the country."
— Rob Oller (@rollerCD) January 5, 2015
Shoutout to Ezekiel Elliott, by the way. He's turned me into a devout believer.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A SPARE $130,000? As someone who loves soulless arenas, I can't wait to watch my favorite amateur football team take the field next week in AT&T Stadium.
Unfortunately, I will not be there because I'm not a sultan.
From Andrew Greif of The Oregonian:
Though the lowest prices are rising to see the game, the average ticket cost for AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, remains unchanged since mid-December, at $1,621, which is $700 more expensive than the average cost to see the 2014 title game between Florida State and Auburn. The current average price is less, however, than what it took to see any of the title games from 2011 -- when it cost more than $5,086 to watch Auburn beat Oregon -- to 2013, with each of those more than $2,000 per ticket.
[...]
Per TiqIQ's data, the most expensive non-suite seat will run you at least $11,500 to sit in the first row along the 35-yard line. And suites, which come with 27 tickets, are as expensive as $133,000.
Well, now I see why players' families were left out in the cold: These schools and these bowl suits were brainstorming the most efficient ways to rake all that cash.
I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL, KING DOLODALE. As I said when Ohio State was down 21-6: Beliefs etched on your heart are unbeatable.
Eddie George tells us when OSU was down against Alabama, Cardale Jones turned to Bama fans and said "Get Louder!" Thats confidence.
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) January 5, 2015
Vegas is no longer taking odds on my first son being named "Dolodale."
HOBBIT NATIONAL TITLE HYPE VIDEO. I cleared my schedule when I found out there was an Ohio State national title hype video featuring audio from The Hobbit.
From YouTuber user Luke Hollingshead (with a hat tip to some Eleven Warriors dot com site!?!?):
#SOON.
THOSE WMDs. Most stolen cars in California in 2013... Ted Turner's doomsday video is wild... One of the NFL's best talent scouts is self-employed and living on a farm... Victor Wanyama: That's filthy... Does the NCAA allow student-athletes to make money off social media platforms?
