Welcome to the Skull Session.
Fewer than 100 days until Ohio State football.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 22, 2025
Have a good Friday.
UNDERSTANDABLE, HAVE A GOOD DAY. Horns247 insider Chip Brown reported Thursday that Texas declined Ohio State’s request to move their 2025 season opener from Saturday, Aug. 30, to Sunday, Aug. 31.
While I would have loved to see the Buckeyes and Longhorns face off in a later prime time slot during Labor Day weekend, I can’t blame Texas for its decision. The Longhorns saw what Ohio State did to Tennessee and wanted no part of it.
With Sunday (and Monday) off the table, it looks like we’re back to Square One with Ohio State and Texas — that is, a potential (read: probable) Big Noon Kickoff at the Horseshoe. That’s unfortunate because a noon start time will impact the atmosphere/environment, the weather and several other factors. What’s more, I guarantee ESPN has written 8 p.m. in Sharpie for Ohio State’s trip to Texas next season, which means the Longhorns will benefit from the atmosphere/environment, the weather and several other factors.
As unfortunate (and unfair) as that seems, it shouldn’t impact how Ohio State performs in either matchup. If the Buckeyes win them both — and we would all love to see them win both — no one will remember what time the game kicked off 10, 15, 20 or 25 years from now.
BEST GAMES OF THE 2000s. Speaking of 25 years, The Athletic’s David Ubben continued the outlet’s “Best of the 2000s” series this week with the top 25 college football games since the turn of the century.
Side note: Remember when I wrote the term “turn of the century” in a Skull Session and there was an all-out war in the comments section about whether the latest “turn” occurred in 2000 or 2001? That was a fun time.
Ubben ranked three Ohio State games in his top 25:
No. 18 - Ohio State 42, Michigan 39 (2006)
The No. 1 vs. No. 2 Showdown is one of several games in the last 25 years that has been coined a Game of the Century. The matchup lived up to the hype. Michigan rallied from a double-digit deficit to trim the Ohio State lead to four early in the fourth quarter and then forced a turnover from Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith on the next possession. The Wolverines went three-and-out and never got the ball with a chance to take the lead again. Michigan cut the lead to three with a late touchdown but failed to recover the onside kick. Many people clamored for a BCS national title rematch, but instead, the Buckeyes went on to lose to Florida.
This was once called The Game of the Century. That moniker didn’t last long, did it?
No. 10 - Georgia 42, Ohio State 41 (2022, Peach Bowl)
Ohio State reached the College Football Playoff despite a rivalry loss to Michigan, and the Buckeyes — a touchdown underdog — led Georgia 21-7 early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs tied the game in less than five minutes and later added a field goal to grab the lead, but Ohio State surged ahead and led 38-24 entering the fourth quarter. Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett hit Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown and found AD Mitchell for a 10-yard score to give the Bulldogs a 42-41 lead with 54 seconds to play. C.J. Stroud quickly got OSU to midfield, but the drive stalled at Georgia’s 31, and Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard attempt went wide left as the clock struck midnight.
Just pain. It was pain everywhere.
No. 6 - Ohio State 31, Miami 24, 2OT (2002, Fiesta Bowl)
Miami entered the clash undefeated and riding a 34-game winning streak. Thirty-seven of the players who started the game became NFL Draft picks, including 18 first-rounders. Ohio State led 17-7 in the third quarter, but Miami rallied and forced overtime on a 40-yard field goal from Todd Sievers on the final play of regulation. Miami scored to open overtime, and then OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel converted a fourth-and-14 with a 17-yard pass to Michael Jenkins to keep the Buckeyes’ OT drive alive.
A few plays later, OSU needed to convert a fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line. Krenzel’s pass bounced off Chris Gamble’s hands, and Miami rushed the field to celebrate a national title. However, field judge Terry Porter threw a late, controversial pass interference flag on Miami’s Glenn Sharpe. Ohio State capitalized and scored, and Maurice Clarett scored in double overtime to give the Buckeyes the lead. Miami, on its next possession, had a first-and-goal at the 2, but OSU repeatedly stuffed the Hurricanes at the goal line, and Ken Dorsey’s pass on fourth down at the 1-yard line fell incomplete to give the Buckeyes the victory.
Oh, the sweet, sweet tears of Miami fans who think Ohio State “cheated” to win this national championship. Remember: We Broke the U.
Ubben’s top 25 is full of bangers; however, because this is an Ohio State football website and I know you all will agree with me, here are a couple of Ohio State Instant Classics that Ubben missed:
2016: Ohio State beats Michigan, 30-27, in double overtime (“And Ohio State wins!”)
2017: Ohio State beats Penn State, 39-38 (“Joe! Thomas! Barrett!”)
And here are a couple of personal favorites that I know Ubben would never include (but I need to share regardless):
2020: Ohio State beats Clemson, 49-28 (“Fields has time… launches downfield… it’s Olave… he’s got it! Touchdown Ohio State!”)
2024: Ohio State beats Oregon, 41-21 (“Howard… looking to launch… right down the middle… Smith is wide open! Too easy!”)
CEMENTED IN HISTORY. Man, that Rose Bowl was incredible.
You know what else is incredible?
Ohio State’s win over Oregon has been cemented in history within the Rose Bowl’s Court of Champions.
Cemented in history!
— Rose Bowl Game (@rosebowlgame) May 21, 2025
The 2025 game plaque is now on display in the Court of Champions at the @RoseBowlStadium. pic.twitter.com/RgO9XwnFPA
THE COMPUTERS! This week, ESPN’s Bill Connelly released an updated SP+ as we head into the summer. As has been the case all offseason, Ohio State checked in at No. 1 in the rankings, followed by Alabama, Penn State, Georgia and Texas.
Here’s a look at The Formula and The Rankings from Connelly’s latest release:
The Formula
Returning production. The returning production numbers are based on rosters I have updated as much as humanly possible to account for transfers and attrition. The combination of last year's SP+ ratings and adjustments based on returning production makes up about two-thirds of the projections formula.
Recent recruiting. This piece informs us of the caliber of a team's potential replacements (and/or new stars) in the lineup. It is determined by the past few years of recruiting rankings in diminishing order (meaning the most recent class carries the most weight). This is also impacted by the recruiting rankings of incoming transfers, an acknowledgment that the art of roster management is now heavily dictated by the transfer portal.
Recent history. Using a sliver of information from the previous four seasons or so gives us a good measure of overall program health.
(One other reminder: SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking, and along those lines, these projections aren't intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather.)
The Rankings
- Ohio State: 29.5 score, 39.6 offense (7), 10.1 defense (2), 0.3 special teams (11)
- Alabama: 27.9 score, 40.4 offense (5), 12.6 defense (5), 0.2 special teams (20)
- Penn State: 27.7 score, 40.6 offense (3), 12.9 defense (6), 0.1 special teams (58)
- Georgia: 26.9 score, 39.0 offense (8), 12.1 defense (4), 0.6 special teams (1)
- Texas: 26.4, 35.4 offense (17), 9.0 defense (1), -0.5 special teams (135)
NOTE: Notre Dame, Oregon, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Miami, Tennessee, Florida, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kansas State, Illinois, SMU, Missouri, Arizona State, Indiana, Louisville and Auburn round out the top 25.
Ohio State, No. 1 in the program and No. 1 in our hearts!
SONG OF THE DAY. "WHY" - Jon Bellion feat. Luke Combs.
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