Skull Session: OSU's QB Play Outshines Michigan's, Urban Meyer Breaks Down the Buckeye Pass Attack and the B1G Championship Could Be Heading to the Twin Cities

By Chase Brown on October 14, 2022 at 5:00 am
C.J. Stroud
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The 11W Slack was full of laughs on Thursday.

This video provided the greatest one:

I agree with Jason. I don't know how a brain gets to this conclusion. It's a bad take, but at least it made me laugh.

There was another thing about Michigan that made me laugh on Thursday. I'll get to that in a moment.

Let's have a good Friday, shall we?

 WAIT... WHAT? Folks, I have learned a hilarious fact about the Michigan football program that needs to be shared. I believe it to be utterly insane.

Are you aware that Elvis Grbac (1991) and Chad Henne (2004) hold the program's single-season passing touchdown record with a whopping 25?

I learned that Thursday and only have one question: How, in the year of our Lord 2022, has a quarterback wearing maize and blue never thrown for more than 25 touchdowns in a year? How is that possible? I cannot wrap my mind around that.

Ohio State has had 10 seasons where a quarterback met or surpassed that total, including the 2018 season, where Dwayne Haskins threw for 50 touchdowns. The other Buckeyes to toss for 25 or more were C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields, J.T. Barrett, Troy Smith, Bobby Hoying, Terrelle Pryor, Todd Boeckman and Joe Germaine.

Also, Stroud has 24 touchdowns – one shy of the Michigan single-season record – through six games in 2022. He will have at least six more opportunities to increase that number this year, plus the number of games Ohio State plays in the postseason.

The Buckeye quarterbacks have been built different when compared to the ones representing the Wolverines, especially in recent history. That might be why Ohio State has dominated the series over the last two decades, save for 2011 and 2021.

Only 43 days until Nov. 26, people. Stroud and Ohio State vs. JJ McCarthy and Michigan.

Who ya got?

I think I know the answer.

 URBAN ANALYSIS. I have always been amazed by Urban Meyer's ability to break down football in layman's terms. He takes otherwise-complex football acumen and puts in plain English to help everyone develop a better understanding of behind-the-scenes work that coaches and players put in to become successful, and I appreciate that.

Earlier this week, Meyer sat down with Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo to offer insight into Ohio State's passing attack, explaining what makes Ryan Day's offense so explosive and how Stroud maximizes the Buckeyes' offensive potential with his golden arm (or platinum arm, should you prefer a higher standard).

With the help of Meyer's breakdown, you can now be the smartest person in the room when watching Ohio State's offense in the future.

For example, when the Buckeyes play Iowa, and you see Cade Stover on the field, you can ask yourself three questions: Is Stover lined up out wide? Is a cornerback or safety covering him? When he motioned toward the offensive line, did anyone follow?

You have all the information you need! You have all the power! Impress your friends and family with this knowledge and report back with their reactions.

 TWIN CITY BOUND? The Big Ten Championship might look a little different in a few years. Instead of the usual scenery of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the conference title game could occur in Minneapolis at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.

John Shipley of Twin Cities - Pioneer Press was the first to deliver the news, revealing that Minnesota Sports and Events, the company responsible for bringing the Super Bowl to Minneapolis in 2018 and the NCAA women's basketball Final Four in 2021, is putting on a full-court press to get the Big Ten title game to the city as early as 2025.

Minnesota Sports and Events, which has helped secure events such as the 2018 Super Bowl and last spring’s women’s NCAA Final Four, plans to make a bid to bring the Big Ten football championship game to U.S. Bank Stadium as soon as 2025. It would be the first year the game — so far — has not been awarded to Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Big Ten women’s basketball tournament will be at Target Center this spring and next, and the men’s tournament will be here in 2023, as well. With the pending addition of UCLA and USC in Fall 2024, the Big Ten will have the nation’s biggest media markets to choose from, from the New York Metropolitan Area to Los Angeles and stops in between that include Chicago and the Twin Cities.

Speaking at the first day of Big Ten media days at Target Center, Commissioner Kevin Warren sounded ready to continue to branch out.

“Now,” he said, “we have the flexibility to have (basketball tournaments), really, anywhere across the country."

The Big Ten hasn’t officially opened bidding on the football championship, a conference spokesperson said. The request-for-proposal process will cover two years, and Minnesota Sports and Events hopes to throw its hat into the ring.

“We have communicated to the Big Ten that our community would love to host Big Ten football championships here at USBS, the best stadium in the country,” Minnesota Sports and Events president and CEO Wendy Williams Blackshaw said Wednesday.

That's right. The 2025 Big Ten Championship between Ohio State and USC in the city belonging to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Perfect! It's what everyone wanted, right?

No. At least I don't want that.

Over the years, I've grown quite fond of Lucas Oil Stadium, so I would be saddened by the news of the conference championship moving to the U.S. Bank Stadium, a venue to which I have no connection. Also, a change to the Twin Cities would turn a three-hour drive from Columbus to Indianapolis into a 14-hour drive or a two-hour flight to Minneapolis. That would blow.

I don't know – maybe I don't like change and this is something I have to learn to get used to. If I am alone here, let me know. But if you agree, let's all cry out to Kevin Warren in one voice and tell him not to chase Minnesota Sports and Events' bag. Let's keep the Big Ten Championship locked in Lucas Oil forever. Sound good?

 CHRIS OLAVE IS HIM. I've asked a lot of questions in this Skull Session. I promise I will only ask one more.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Netflix sets $7 monthly price for its ad-supported service... US opts to not rebuild renowned Puerto Rico telescope... Indonesia gears up to start its first high-speed rail line (waiting for America to get one of these)... 677-pound grizzly bear attacks, injures bird hunter in Montana.

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