Game Day Skull Session: Get Dumped Then, Notre Dame

By Chase Brown on September 3, 2022 at 5:00 am
Ryan Day
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The day we've all been waiting for is finally here. Ohio State's 2022 season begins tonight against Notre Dame.

The Horseshoe will be loud, the atmosphere will be electric and the Buckeyes will be fast and violent. That's a great recipe for winning football games.

I predict Ohio State will win tonight's contest by more than two touchdowns. C.J. Stroud is a Heisman frontrunner in need of Heisman moments. What better stage for those moments than facing a top-five opponent in a stadium full of 100,000-plus fans wearing scarlet and gray? And that's not to mention the millions that will be watching at home as ABC broadcasts the game live with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call.

Stroud isn't the only Buckeye poised to make a statement in tonight's contest. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is out to prove that he's the best wide receiver in the nation after a breakout sophomore season capped off with an otherworldly performance in the Rose Bowl. TreVeyon Henderson will also look to live up to his preseason All-American potential behind a retooled offensive line led by future NFL talents Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones.

Then, of course, the Ohio State defense. Jim Knowles might have a more oversized magnifying glass on top of him than Stroud, Smith-Njigba, Henderson or anyone else in the program. He placed top-five expectations on his unit for 2022, and it's time to see if the Silver Bullets are ready to rise to the occasion.

I love everything about this game. Two storied programs will battle in a historic venue on the season's first game. Everyone in Columbus and South Bend, Indiana, has been talking about it for the last nine months, and it's also been a part of the national conversation as two top-five teams fight to remain in the national championship conversation in Week 1.

But I digress. Let's have a good Saturday, shall we?

 TODAY'S MENU. It's Week 1 of the 2022 college football season. That means there are good and bad games – primetime matchups and snooze fests. But, honestly, who cares? College football is back, and that's a reason for celebration.

I bolded some of the games I will keep my eye on before and during the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame tonight, and I might even make picks on these matchups later in the Skull Session! Who knows?

Matchup Time (ET) TV/Mobile
CCSU at UConn 12:00pm CW20/FOX61+
North Carolina at Appalachian State 12:00pm ESPNU
Western Carolina at Charleston Sou. 12:00pm ESPN+
South Dakota State at Iowa 12:00pm FS1
Sam Houston at 6 Texas A&M 12:00pm SECN
Georgetown at Marist 12:00pm ESPN3
Dayton at Robert Morris 12:00pm ESPN+
Buffalo at Maryland 12:00pm BTN
Rutgers at Boston College 12:00pm ACCN
Colorado State at 8 Michigan 12:00pm ABC
Delaware at Navy 12:00pm CBSSN
13 NC State at East Carolina 12:00pm ESPN
Richmond at Virginia 12:30pm RSN/ESPN3
Sacred Heart at Lafayette 12:30pm ESPN+
St. Thomas (FL) at Butler 1:00pm FloSports
Northern Iowa at Air Force 1:00pm Altitude
Davidson at Jacksonville State 2:00pm ESPN+
Stonehill at Bloomsburg 2:00pm PSAC Sports DN
Southeast Missouri at Iowa State 2:00pm ESPN+
Duquesne at Youngstown State 2:00pm ESPN+
Lincoln (PA) at Delaware State 2:00pm ESPN+
Bowling Green at UCLA 2:30pm P12N
Northwestern State at Montana 3:00pm ESPN+
24 Houston at UTSA 3:30pm CBSSN
UTEP at 9 Oklahoma 3:30pm FOX
Tulsa at Wyoming 3:30pm FS1
11 Oregon vs. 3 Georgia (in Atlanta, GA) 3:30pm ABC
North Dakota at Nebraska 3:30pm BTN
Norfolk State at Marshall 3:30pm ESPN3
23 Cincinnati at 19 Arkansas 3:30pm ESPN
Arizona at San Diego State 3:30pm CBS
Bethune-Cookman at 16 Miami (FL) 3:30pm ACCN
Drake at North Dakota State 3:30pm ABC ND/ESPN+
25 BYU at USF 4:00pm ESPNU
Tennessee State at Eastern Washington 4:00pm ESPN+
Houston Baptist at Northern Colorado 4:00pm ESPN+
Troy at 21 Ole Miss 4:00pm SECN
UC Davis at California 4:00pm P12N Bay Area
Nicholls at South Alabama 5:00pm ESPN3
Texas State at Nevada 5:30pm NSN
Morgan State at Georgia Southern 6:00pm ESPN3
Rice at 14 USC 6:00pm P12N
Concordia at Stetson 6:00pm ESPN+
Towson at Bucknell 6:00pm ESPN+
Florida Atlantic at Ohio 6:00pm ESPN+
Wofford at Chattanooga 6:00pm ESPN+
Howard at Hampton 6:00pm FloSports
Middle Tennessee at James Madison 6:00pm ESPN+
Miles College at Alabama State 6:00pm ESPN+
Florida Memorial at Southern 7:00pm JSN
Elon at Vanderbilt 7:00pm SECN+/ESPN+
7 Utah at Florida 7:00pm ESPN
UMass at Tulane 7:00pm ESPN+
Miami (Ohio) at 20 Kentucky 7:00pm SECN+/ESPN+
Liberty at Southern Miss 7:00pm ESPN+
Army at Coastal Carolina 7:00pm ESPN+
Lane College at UAPB 7:00pm UAPB SN
UAlbany at 10 Baylor 7:00pm ESPN+
Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M 7:00pm ESPN+
Mercer at Auburn 7:00pm SECN+/ESPN+
Indiana Wesleyan at Valparaiso 7:00pm ESPN3
Illinois State at 18 Wisconsin 7:00pm FS1
Stephen F. Austin at Alcorn State 7:00pm TV TBA
Southern Illinois at UIW 7:00pm ESPN+
Presbyterian at Austin Peay 7:00pm ESPN+
Southeastern La. at Louisiana 7:00pm ESPN+
South Dakota at Kansas State 7:00pm ESPN+
Grambling State at Arkansas State 7:00pm ESPN3
Utah State at 1 Alabama 7:30pm SECN
SMU at North Texas 7:30pm CBSSN
5 Notre Dame at 2 Ohio State 7:30pm ABC
Georgia State at South Carolina 7:30pm SECN+/ESPN+
North Carolina A&T vs. NC Central (in Charlotte, NC) 7:30pm ESPN3
Memphis at Mississippi State 7:30pm ESPNU
ULM at Texas 8:00pm LHN
Colgate at Stanford 8:00pm P12N Bay Area
McNeese at Montana State 8:00pm ESPN+
Maine at New Mexico 8:00pm MWN
Louisville at Syracuse 8:00pm ACCN
Murray State at Texas Tech 8:00pm ESPN+
La Verne at San Diego 9:00pm WCCSports.com
Utah Tech at Sacramento State 9:00pm CW31/ESPN+
Idaho at Washington State 9:30pm P12N
Boise State at Oregon State 10:30pm ESPN
Kent State at Washington 10:30pm FS1
WKU at Hawaii 11:59pm Spectrum PPV

 BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. One more thing on Ohio State and Notre Dame. Bill Bender of Sporting News spoke to former Buckeye running back Eddie George before this matchup and learned the Heisman Trophy winner's perspective on his incredible performance against the Irish the last time the two programs met at Ohio Stadium.

George remembers each of the carries he received against Notre Dame and reminds his friends who attended the Indiana school – like Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis –that he owned the Golden Domers for all four quarters on Sept. 30, 1995.

Eddie George can't control himself.
Every once in a while, the Ohio State legend will send the picture to his friend and Notre Dame alum Jerome Bettis as a not-so-gentle-reminder of the past.
This is one of those weeks. You've seen the picture.
It's George – in a scarlet "27" jersey – angling toward the open field at Ohio Stadium with a white towel flapping to the side – an almost Heisman pose that foreshadowed what was to come later in that 1995 season. The background is every bit as important here. Count the Notre Dame defenders in white jerseys trailing behind George. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven …
Yep, seven Irish defenders made the wide-angle shot Columbus Dispatch photographer Fred Squillante captured on Sept. 30, 1995. George's 61-yard run was the proverbial dagger in the Buckeyes' 45-26 victory against Notre Dame that day. It's just waiting for Bettis' response.
"He sends me an emoji back – with one finger," George told Sporting News.

George later explained it is a playful gesture from Bettis, who couldn't do anything to stop him on that day as Notre Dame's running back. Still, Bettis understands how dominant George was against his team and how embarrassing it was to watch the Ohio State tailback run for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

May Ohio State have more moments tonight that will live on like this one. The kinds of plays that will show up in a highlight reel anytime the Buckeyes and Irish play each other in the future (say, next year?).

 MY PICKS. I decided I would share some of my totally solid insider knowledge on college football with you. Yes, I have studied all the tapes for these teams and all of my predictions will be correct.

  • No. 23 Cincinnati (+6.5) at No. 19 Arkansas. Luke Fickell's squad lost a lot of talent from last season's College Football Playoff team, including Sauce Gardner, Coby Bryant and Desmond Ridder. That matters. Cincinnati likely won't be in the running for a CFP spot, but I still expect the Bearcats to be competitive in 2022. The Bearcats might not win outright, but I like them to cover against an unproven SEC opponent.
  • No. 7 Utah (-2) at Florida. Ohio State fans are familiar with Utah after a thrilling Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Much of the roster returns for head coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utes will be led by quarterback Cameron Rising and running back Tavion Thomas. At the same time, defensive backs Clark Phillips and Cole Bishop will anchor the defense. Utah is a CFP team in my mind, so give me the Utes to cover.
  • Louisiana-Monroe at Texas (-38). This is a huge spread to cover for the Longhorns, and it would be admittedly funny to watch the Longhorns struggle against the Warkhawks or even suffer an upset, but I don't think that's in store for Texas. Quinn Ewers will be QB1 for head coach Steve Sarkisian, and I'm ready to see him prove that perfect recruiting ranking he received as a junior in high school. I'll take the man with the mullet and Texas to cover the large spread.

 THE IRISH DOSSIER. We had a full week of coverage at Eleven Warriors to preview Ohio State's historic matchup with Notre Dame. Actually, it was more like months, but I won't make you read or listen to all that stuff. Here is everything you need to know about the Irish:

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Hells Bells” by AC/DC.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Pitt football's social media team created this ultimate video after "The Backyard Brawl" (but they had to delete it)... That one NASA rocket is launching today (hopefully) ... The most popular college football team in each of the United States... Dolly Parton releases a dog apparel collection... Dog sniffs out cocaine hidden in a wheelchair at Milan airport.

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