Welcome to the Skull Session.
Defense wins championships.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 12, 2025
#1 Redzone Defense (0%)
#2 Scoring Defense (Tied 3.5/game)
#12 Plays 20+ Yards Allowed (3)
#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ZQlHLSHPin
Have a good Saturday.
IT’S ABOUT THE BUCKEYES. Ohio State’s last loss to an in-state school came on Oct. 8, 1921, a 7-6 defeat at the hands of Oberlin. (Almost 104 years later, the Buckeyes would be a 159-point favorite over the Yeomen, who compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference in Division III.)
Since that loss, Ohio State has won 47 consecutive games against Ohio teams. The last team not to lose to the Buckeyes in Ohio was Wooster, which tied with Ohio State in 1924. (The Fighting Scots now compete in the Ohio Athletic Conference alongside Capital, Otterbein and others in Division III.)
The Buckeyes have never lost to an Ohio team in the Horseshoe.
That streak won’t end this weekend.
*whispers* I don’t think it will ever end. Over half of the Eleven Warriors poll voters from Thursday agree with me.
Ohio State enters Saturday as a 32.5-point favorite over Ohio. The Bobcats, fresh off their 17-10 upset of West Virginia, will come to Columbus eager to claim a second straight Power Four victim. But Brian Smith and Co. are about to learn the difference between country roads and state routes, between Ryan Day and Rich Rodriguez, between Julian Sayin and Nicco Marchiol, Jeremiah Smith and Jaden Bray, Caleb Downs and Darrian Lewis. (My apologies to those three Mountaineers for the strays, but... *shrugs*.)
While I can guarantee Ohio will provide a stiffer test than Grambling State, the purpose of both opponents is the same: sacrificial lambs for Ohio State to devour while building confidence for Big Ten competition. That said, Saturday will be more about the Buckeyes than the Bobcats, which coaches and players have communicated several times this week.
“Every play is an opportunity to get better. I think that’s what we’re really trying to hammer home right now. You can’t circle opponents on your schedule. You know, you have to continually grow with the process. If you understand that, you know, it’s about us and it’s about our training,” Ryan Day said Tuesday. “It’s not about the results. What I mean by that is, like, it’s not about our opponent. It’s not about the scoreboard. Whatever you do in your training is gonna ultimately reflect how you respond in really pressure environments.”
“They’re a really good team,” Payton Pierce said Wednesday. “We’re not gonna underestimate them. They play fast, have a fast a quarterback. We’re just gonna do our job. It’s never really about them. It’s about us.”
“It’s about us,” Matt Patricia said in the Ohio Game Trailer released Thursday. “It’s about each other.”
Determined and focused, Ohio State will take care of business this weekend. Brutus will be smiling, Rufus will be sulking and the scoreboard will be ever in the Buckeyes’ favor.
Ohio State 45, Ohio 9.
THE MENU. Week 1 had some bangers (!), then Week 2 had some snoozers. Great news: Week 3 reinstates the bangers, as some of the best matchups include No. 12 Clemson at Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN), No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee (3:30 p.m., ABC), No. 18 USF at No. 5 Miami (4:30, on... The CW?!) and No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., NBC).
Here's a look at the complete menu for Saturday:
| Away Team | Home Team | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | No. 19 Alabama | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| No. 12 Clemson | Georgia Tech | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| No. 13 Oklahoma | Temple | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Memphis | Troy | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Central Michigan | No. 23 Michigan | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Towson | Maryland | 12:00pm | Peacock |
| William & Mary | Virginia | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| HCU | Nebraska | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| No. 4 Oregon | Northwestern | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Samford | Baylor | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Buffalo | Kent State | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| South Alabama | #24 Auburn | 12:45pm | SECN |
| Louisiana | #25 Missouri | 1:00pm | SECN+/ESPN+ |
| New Hampshire | Ball State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UConn | Delaware | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UIW | UTSA | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| No. 6 Georgia | No. 15 Tennessee | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Morgan State | Toledo | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Oregon State | No. 21 Texas Tech | 3:30pm | FOX |
| Pitt | West Virginia | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Youngstown State | Michigan State | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Norfolk State | Rutgers | 3:30pm | BTN |
| USC | Purdue | 3:30pm | CBS/Paramount+ |
| Villanova | #2 Penn State | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| SMU | Missouri State | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Washington State | North Texas | 3:30pm | ESPNU |
| Richmond | North Carolina | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| Northwestern State | Cincinnati | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| No. 14 Iowa State | Arkansas State | 4:00pm | ESPN2 |
| UTEP | No. 7 Texas | 4:15pm | SECN |
| No. 18 USF | No. 5 Miami (FL) | 4:30pm | The CW |
| Middle Tennessee | Nevada | 5:00pm | NSN/MWN |
| Liberty | Bowling Green | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Monmouth | Charlotte | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida Atlantic | FIU | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Kentucky | Marshall | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Merrimack | Kennesaw State | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Alcorn State | Mississippi State | 6:00pm | SECN+/ESPN+ |
| Appalachian State | Southern Miss | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Prairie View A&M | Rice | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Arkansas | No. 17 Ole Miss | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Murray State | Georgia State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Old Dominion | Virginia Tech | 7:00pm | ACCN |
| Western Michigan | No. 9 Illinois | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Ohio | No. 1 Ohio State | 7:00pm | Peacock |
| Jacksonville State | Georgia Southern | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMass | Iowa | 7:30pm | BTN |
| No. 16 Texas A&M | #8 Notre Dame | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| Eastern Michigan | Kentucky | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| Florida | No. 3 LSU | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| New Mexico State | Louisiana Tech | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| East Carolina | Coastal Carolina | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Vanderbilt | No. 11 South Carolina | 7:45pm | SECN |
| Abilene Christian | TCU | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Navy | Tulsa | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Duke | Tulane | 8:00pm | ESPN2 |
| No. 20 Utah | Wyoming | 8:00pm | CBSSN |
| Akron | UAB | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Air Force | Utah State | 9:45pm | FS1 |
| Southern | Fresno State | 10:00pm | CBS47/MWN |
| Texas State | Arizona State | 10:30pm | TNT/Max |
| Boston College | Stanford | 10:30pm | ACCN |
| Minnesota | California | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| Portland State | Hawaii | 11:59pm | Spectrum/MWN |
OUR PICKS. I went 5-0 last week.
*pause for applause*
Thank you. Thank you. You’re far too kind.
After two weeks of Our Picks, I have a 6-4 record, while Andy and Dan are tied for second place at 4-6. While I am thrilled to be in first place, there’s still work to do before we crown an Our Picks Champion. That includes this weekend, in which I have selected the following matchups to predict the spread:
No. 12 Clemson (-2.5) at Georgia Tech
Saturday marks the 90th all-time meeting between Clemson and Georgia Tech. While the Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 50-36-2, the Tigers have dominated the rivalry since Dabo Swinney took over as their head coach in 2008, with Swinney leading the team to a 12-5 record and nine consecutive victories dating back to 2015. This season, Clemson suffered a narrow loss to LSU before avoiding an upset bid from Troy. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech beat Colorado, 27-20, in Boulder before a rare Week 2 bye.
Andy: Clemson
Chase: Clemson
Dan: Clemson
No. 6 Georgia (-4.5) at No. 15 Tennessee
Both Georgia and Tennessee faced FCS opponents in Week 2. The Bulldogs looked… stoppable… in a 28-6 win over Austin Peay, while the Volunteers looked unstoppable in a 72-17 win over East Tennessee State. Still, Kirby Smart and Co. are 4.5-point favorites on the road at Neyland Stadium. That surprising number could be true for several reasons, though one could argue none are more important than this: Georgia has won eight consecutive games against Tennessee, outscoring the Volunteers by an average score of 38-13 in those matchups.
Andy: Tennessee
Chase: Georgia
Dan: Tennessee
Pitt (-7.5) at West Virginia
The Backyard Brawl, one of college football’s most storied rivalries, went dark for 11 years from 2011 to 2022. The break came when Pitt and West Virginia left the Big East after the 2011 season — the Panthers to the ACC and the Mountaineers to the Big 12. Thankfully, the schools revived the series three years ago, and the matchups since have been absolute cinema. Pitt has won two of the three, including a 38-34 thriller in Pittsburgh last season.
Andy: Pitt
Chase: West Virginia
Dan: West Virginia
No. 18 South Florida at No. 5 Miami (-17.5)
With a 34-7 win over Boise State in Week 1 and an 18-16 victory at Florida in Week 2, USF has emerged as the frontrunner for the Group of Five’s automatic College Football Playoff bid. The Bulls face another tough challenge this week at Miami, which opened with a 27-24 win over Notre Dame and followed with a 45-3 rout of Bethune-Cookman. Can Alex Golesh — an Ohio State graduate and former student assistant — and his players muster another upset? We’ll see!
Andy: South Florida
Chase: South Florida
Dan: South Florida
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (-6.5)
Notre Dame is in need of a win over Texas A&M. At 10-2 in the 12-team playoff era, the Irish would still have a path to the postseason, but two losses would leave no margin for error and a reliance on future opponents delivering quality wins. It’s not technically a must-win for Notre Dame, but it’s close for Week 3. Last year, ND shut down Texas A&M’s offense, but this time the Aggies have Marcel Reed at quarterback, a much different challenge than Conner Weigman. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko is also hunting a statement win after dropping four of five to close last season.
Andy: Texas A&M
Chase: Notre Dame
Dan: Texas A&M
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. One of my favorite Ohio State football traditions is when the Buckeyes visit the James Cancer Hospital on Fridays. Through three weeks of the 2025 season, Ohio State's linebackers, running backs and offensive line have visited and met with patients.
Kicking off the year with our Friday Hospital Visit at the James. A tradition with Woody Hayes that continues today pic.twitter.com/ZLk1vDksrY
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 29, 2025
Tradition Continues
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 5, 2025
The Running Back Room visited the James today before tomorrows home game pic.twitter.com/F9WPYQAlZ8
Friday Buckeye Tradition
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 12, 2025
The Defensive Line continued the home game tradition of visiting the James Hospital prior to tomorrows matchup vs Ohio U pic.twitter.com/IVMmFsUlmr
More than a game!
SONG OF THE DAY. "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Fans bid farewell to beloved California octopus Ghost as she cares for eggs in final stage of life... Humpty Dumpty caper at New Jersey mini-golf course sparks police investigation... FanDuel agrees to pay Jaguars roughly $5M to offset losses from ex-employee’s theft... "Wizard of Oz" at Las Vegas Sphere making $2 million a day.
