I dedicate this Skull Session to the noble trilby, which isn't to be conflated with the vile fedora.
ICYMI:
- Huskers AD Bill Moos on Scott Frost hire: Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh are "running a little bit scared right now, and they won't admit it."
- Wake Forest graduate transfer point guard Keyshawn Woods committed.
- Woods figures to make an immediate impact in Columbus.
- Young Adam Schefter projected each Buckeye's draft spot and the team that will select them.
- A look at the top 2020 recruiting targets.
- Many depth chart questions linger after the spring game.
- Luke Farrell poised for a breakout year at tight end.
- Kelsey Mitchell and Kyle Snyder are Ohio State's recipients for the Big Ten Medal of Honor.
- Reserve your (or your business’) spot next to the life-size statue of Woody Hayes coming to Newcomerstown!
Word of the Day: Symbiote.
LEGENDS NEVER DIE. The Earle Bruce Memorial Service kicks off at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Arena. BTN will broadcast, and the event is open to the public.
Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel headline the speakers, with the ceremony also including renditions of Hang On Sloopy and Carmen Ohio. The program can be viewed over here.
Be sure to follow Eleven Warriors reporters Dan Hope and Andrew Lind on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and photos from what should be a star-studded affair.
For those not able to watch TV or check Twitter during the day, be sure to visit the homepage tonight for multiple angles of coverage. BTN will also re-air the service at 11:30 p.m. on April 25 and 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on April 26.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE?. Like most Ohio State fans, I look at next year's regular season schedule and see 12 wins by a combined 3,000 points.
Reality disagrees, as it's a Herculean task for a team of young men to weather the season unscathed. Even if you beat your premiere out-of-conference opponent like a drum, a Week 10 trip to Iowa City may loom.
While Ohio State thankfully won't have to visit Kinnick this year, its odds of going undefeated aren't great according to ESPN's Football Power Index.
ESPN FPIs teams with the best chance to go undefeated:
— CFB Now (@CFBNW) April 23, 2018
1. Clemson (19.2%)
2. Alabama (10.1%)
3. Notre Dame (10.0%)
4. Georgia (9.7%)
5. Washington (7.3%)
6. Ohio State (6.6%)
7. Oklahoma (6.4%)
8. Penn State (3.0%)
9. Michigan State (2.2%)
10. Miami (1.2%)
I have yet to look at Notre Dame's 2018 schedule and probably never will. There's still a 0% chance the Irish go undefeated next year. If they do, I'll retire from blogging and live out my days as a monk in Gibraltar.
And yes, I'm surprised Ohio State's chances aren't higher. But the Big Ten East ain't a cakewalk.
BEER IS GOOD NOW. Fans will be able to drink beer and wine at the College Football Championship after the NCAA cemented alcohol sales in all championship games yesterday.
From yahoo.com:
Alcohol being sold at NCAA championship events moved closer to reality after the Division I Council approved a change Wednesday.
The council action isn't considered final until the board meeting closes on April 25.
The NCAA had previously allowed alcohol sales in general seating at the College World Series and Women’s College World Series as part of a pilot program that started two years ago. The program was expanded to include the Football Championship Subdivision’s championship game; at all three divisions for wrestling, men’s lacrosse championships and at men's ice hockey and women's volleyball championships.
The professionalization of college athletics continues its death march in every way except one.
BURROW NOT NEEDED AT NEBRASKA? Joe Burrow said he will likely transfer if he fails to win the starting position. One possible landing destination was Nebraska, but that was before freshman Adrian Martinez completed 10 of 13 passes and went for 174 total yards of offense in the spring game.
Now, head coach Scott Frost might be content to ride with his current hand.
From cbssports.com:
"You think he's [Burrow] better than what we got?" Frost asked, rhetorically, after Saturday's spring game.
[...]
"We think, if we can get by with what we have, it's cleaner than muddying up the situation," Frost said.
"I think we have what we need here," [wide receiver Conor] Young added.
If this proves to be the case, I won't lose any sleep over the loss of Burrow leading the Huskers into Columbus on Nov. 3rd. It would have been a boon for the #clicks game, though.
A TRUE MAN OF GENIUS. Today we salute Luther Nolan, an Ohio State groundkeeper with two degrees, two minors, and a recent acceptance into a PhD program.
From Summer Cartwright of The Lantern:
To describe Luther Nolan as a gentle giant would be much too simple. Yes, he stands about 6-foot-4 and has a thick build, but his work in academia pushes him past the overused phrase and into a whole new level. A level not only filled with great students, but great workers, great friends and great mentors.
The 47-year-old father has worked at Ohio State as a groundskeeper for 16 years, but his time at the university began a few years prior as a student. His education started then, and it still continues today. Because on May 6, like nearly 12,000 other students, Luther will be graduating. But this degree isn’t his first from Ohio State, nor will it be his last. Because for Luther, education doesn’t stop. And neither will the time he puts into giving back to the university he’s been a part of for nearly half his life.
If his stature and build don’t immediately set him apart from the typical student, his bright orange sweatshirt, fluffy beard and tan work overalls will.
What a beast! Love to see Ohio State employees take advantage of their free (read: some fees still apply) tuition waivers. It's a hustle that pays for itself.
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