Welcome to the Skull Session.
We have officially reached the midway point of the week.
Let's have a good Wednesday, shall we?
BIGGER THAN SPORTS. Ohio State president Kristina M. Johnson issued a statement of support on Tuesday following a mass shooting at Michigan State on Monday that killed three students and left five more injured in critical condition.
According to reports, Anthony McRae, 43, fired inside the university's Berkey Hall and student union before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound four hours after the shooting began. All victims were Michigan State students.
Michigan State has canceled all athletic events through Wednesday, and the university canceled all classes until next week, with sessions set to resume on Feb. 20.
Ohio State joins our Big Ten community and so many others in grieving for the lives lost at Michigan State University Monday evening in a senseless act of violence. We are here to support our Big Ten family and we are here to support one another.https://t.co/1P1JJL8nej
— Kristina M. Johnson (@PresKMJohnson) February 14, 2023
Johnson's support was accompanied by tweets from several of Ohio State's athletic programs, including football, wrestling, softball, men's soccer and women's volleyball.
Sending our thoughts, prayers and love to everyone at @michiganstateu and @MSU_Football. We grieve with you and will support you as part of our Big Ten family.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 14, 2023
Sending our thoughts, prayers and love to everyone at @michiganstateu and @MSU_Wrestling. We grieve with you and will support you as part of our Big Ten family.
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) February 14, 2023
Sending our thoughts, prayers and love to everyone at @michiganstateu and @MSU_Softball. We grieve with you and will support you as part of our Big Ten family.
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) February 14, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all our friends and colleagues at @MSU_MSoccer and @michiganstateu. We grieve with you and will support you as part of our Big Ten family.
— Ohio State Mens Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) February 14, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all our friends and colleagues at @michiganstateu and @MSU_Volleyball . As we grieve with you, well also be here to support you as part of our family.
— Ohio State Women's Volleyball (@OhioStateWVB) February 14, 2023
It was a kind gesture from Ohio State's programs that shows life is much more significant than sports and that whatever rivalries and bitterness exist between the Buckeyes and Spartans on a court, field, mat, track or in a pool can be put on pause when those sports are put in perspective.
My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the events at Michigan State. May there be peace brought to them in a dark time, and may they move forward with the support needed to grieve and grow beyond such a tragic event.
THESE COMPUTERS WORK. After breaking down how Ohio State men's basketball has broken KenPom, NET and ESPN's computers this year in Tuesday's Skull Session, let's continue the #ComputerTalk with a discussion of Ohio State football's place among the nation's best teams in Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings released for ESPN this week.
Three factors determine a team’s rank in the SP+ standings: Returning production, recent recruiting and recent history. For those reasons, Connelly has the Buckeyes rated as the No. 2 overall team, No. 1 offense and No. 10 defense in college football heading into 2023.
A reminder on SP+: It's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of football's most sustainable and predictable aspects, not a résumé ranking.
| TEAM | RATING | OFFENSE | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEORGIA | 31.7 (1) | 42.4 (6) | 10.7 (2) |
| OHIO STATE | 30.0 (2) | 46.3 (1) | 16.3 (10) |
| MICHIGAN | 28.8 (3) | 41.8 (8) | 13.0 (4) |
| ALABAMA | 27.5 (4) | 43.4 (5) | 15.9 (9) |
| PENN STATE | 24.4 (5) | 37.9 (21) | 13.5 (5) |
| TENNESSEE | 24.1 (6) | 46.0 (2) | 21.8 (32) |
| LSU | 23.5 (7) | 41.1 (10) | 17.5 (14) |
| OREGON | 21.6 (8) | 44.2 (4) | 22.7 (38) |
| TEXAS | 21.4 (9) | 39.2 (14) | 17.8 (16) |
| USC | 21.3 (10) | 45.3 (3) | 24.1 (46) |
It sure looks like Connelly's computer works!
According to the SP+ measurements, Ohio State belongs in the top four to start the 2023 season, which means the Buckeyes should once again control their destiny when it comes to reaching the College Football Playoff – in this instance, the final four-team playoff before expansion to 12 teams in 2024. And why wouldn't they?
A stellar cast of Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Cade Stover, TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams and either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will lead the team offensively, while Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers, Lathan Ransom and J.T. Tuimoloau will pace the team defensively. That cast, which features several other stars, is sure to give headaches to head coaches and coordinators across the FBS.
To continue the cast/movie analogy, let's hope this film ends with a happily ever after, as in the program's first national championship since 2014. I'm sure that would lead to many five-star reviews from the title-starved fans in Buckeye Nation.
C.J. STROUD’S FOUNDATION. For the past two seasons, C.J. Stroud has been a star in college football. But now he's headed to the NFL as of the top prospects in the 2023 class. That's the dream of any young athlete, wouldn't you think?
As Stroud lives out that dream, he's made a concerted effort to have a firm foundation beneath him – one that will not allow his stardom and attention to make him forget where he comes from and what he's been through in his 21 years of life.
In a recent interview with FOX, Stroud revealed that faith and family shaped his paradigm, the lens through which he views life, in the years he spent as Ohio State's quarterback. When he hears his name called at the NFL draft in April and starts his career making millions in the pros, he doesn't expect that to change.
From former Skull Session writer Kevin Harrish of The Comeback:
“It’s what’s kept me grounded even through my season,” Stroud told Fox News. “Football has a lot of ups and downs, it has a lot of twists and turns, but at the end of the day, it’s all about your foundation. And something that’s set my foundation is my faith. It’s something I’m not perfect in, but I try to work everyday to be better, and I definitely think that’s what saved me. If it helps encouraging anybody to help them in their lives, whatever they’re going through, then I’m all for it.”
Regarding the other part of Stroud's foundation, his family, the Ohio State quarterback said his mother continues to play a pivotal role in shaping him into the man he wants to be and the life he wants to lead in the future. Stroud said she was especially helpful as he navigated the new world of name, image and likeness benefits in college football in 2021 and 2022.
When asked what his mother taught him about NIL, Stroud's answer made it clear that her influence has been nothing but positive:
"Be yourself," Stroud said [of what his mother has taught him]. "Go through the process and just be unapologetically you. Really try to work as hard as you can, and rely on your parents, get good grades. And work as hard as you can and be the best player and the best person you can off the field."
Stroud has also made it clear he intends to repay his mother for her love and guidance over the years, fully understanding that no money or possessions will make up for what she has done for him his entire life. Still, Stroud explained that she has always wanted a brand new car – a Range Rover, specifically – and his new deal with AutoTrader will help make that happen.
#ad Had a great day talking about my future as a pro football player at Radio Row. Even though I dont know which team will draft me. I dont know that @AutoTrader_com is the perfect place to find my new ride once I turn pro. pic.twitter.com/xI9hyqDvRt
— CJ Stroud (@CJ7STROUD) February 10, 2023
If Stroud can't obtain a Range Rover for some reason – which would be silly considering he has a brand deal with them and will make Bookoo Bucks as a top-10 pick – he said his mother would be fine picking out another vehicle.
"I think she'll be good with whatever has four wheels and rolls," he said.
OLYMPIC VILLAGE. In a recent Eleven Warriors poll, readers of the site voted that they are currently most interested in watching and consuming Ohio State wrestling content after the usual suspects of football and basketball.
In fact, Ohio State wrestling won the poll by a wide margin at 39% of the vote, well ahead of women's hockey (21%), men's hockey (15%), men's tennis (11%) and the other Buckeye sports competing in the late winter and early spring window of competition.
With those results in mind, I have excellent news for fans who want to see more content about the grapplers. The Big Ten Network conducted an almost 10-minute interview with Sammy "Savage" Sasso this week, asking the Ohio State star about his stellar season for the Buckeyes, and I have that segment for you here:
As he has been for the past three years, Sasso has been a stalwart in the middle of the lineup for Ohio State. When head coach Tom Ryan needs a win, Sasso will deliver nine times out of 10.
A win won’t come easy for Sasso this weekend, however. On Saturday, the No. 6 Buckeyes will face off with No. 4 Cornell at the Spartan Combat Dual in Tampa, Florida. In that match, third-ranked Sasso will battle top-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis at 149 pounds, where recent bouts between the wrestlers will make the already-premier matchup that much more entertaining.
Diakomihalis has met Sasso twice, with the Cornell wrestler winning both matches. The first was a 7-2 decision for Diakomihalis in the 2021 Cliff Keen Invitational finals, and the second was a 6-3 decision over Sasso in the 2022 NCAA Championship semifinals. At the NCAAs, Diakomihalis went on to win his third title in four years, while Sasso finished fifth.
Ohio State's dual with Cornell is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the match will be streamed on InterMat.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Dreamin'” by Rayland Baxter.
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