Welcome to the Skull Session.
Here's a Caden Curry highlight reel to start your morning:
Roll the Tapes
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 30, 2025
@CadenCurry14 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/w1haAAx5Do
Have a good Wednesday.
THE COMPUTERS! It's Wednesday. You know what that means. This week, The Computers still view Ohio State as one of the best teams, but not the best team in college football, as the Buckeyes rank No. 2 behind Oregon in the College Football Power Index and SP+.
While the same old, same old is never too interesting, this is: Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers rose to No. 5 in FPI and No. 3 in SP+ this week, surpassing James Franklin's Penn State Nittany Lions in both metrics to establish themselves as the third-best team in the Big Ten.
College Football Power Index
| TEAM | RECORD | FPI | WIN OUT | WIN CONF | MAKE CFP | WIN CFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OREGON | 5-0 | 24.2 | 16.4% | 37.5% | 86.9% | 16.2% |
| OHIO STATE | 4-0 | 23.5 | 15% | 29.2% | 86.7% | 16.4% |
| ALABAMA | 3-1 | 23.1 | 7.5% | 34.4% | 69% | 12.4% |
| TEXAS | 3-1 | 21.6 | 4.3% | 16.5% | 51.2% | 6.3% |
| INDIANA | 5-0 | 21.1 | 5.7% | 16.6% | 69.1% | 8.3% |
Ohio State's future opponents in the College Football Power Index: Minnesota (59), Illinois (30), Wisconsin (57), Penn State (11), Purdue (74), UCLA (90), Rutgers (46), Michigan (12)
SP+
| TEAM | RECORD | RATING | OFFENSE | DEFENSE | SPECIAL TEAMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OREGON | 5-0 | 29.4 | 41.8 (2) | 12.6 (5) | 0.2 (19) |
| OHIO STATE | 3-0 | 26.8 | 37.0 (16) | 10.4 (2) | 0.2 (23) |
| INDIANA | 2-1 | 25.5 | 38.6 (10) | 13.4 (7) | 0.2 (9) |
| PENN STATE | 3-1 | 25.4 | 37.6 (13) | 12.4 (3) | 0.2 (20) |
| TEXAS TECH | 4-0 | 23.8 | 41 (3) | 17.4 (20) | 0.2 (16) |
Ohio State's future opponents in the SP+: Minnesota (45), Illinois (25), Wisconsin (61), Penn State (4), Purdue (82), UCLA (100), Rutgers (48), Michigan (15)
Matchup Predictor
| OPPONENT | DATE | LOCATION | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| MINNESOTA | 10/4 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 94.7% |
| ILLINOIS | 10/11 | CHAMPAIGN, IL | OHIO STATE 81% |
| WISCONSIN | 10/18 | MADISON, WI | OHIO STATE 90.2% |
| PENN STATE | 11/1 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 71.2% |
| PURDUE | 11/8 | WEST LAFAYETTE, IN | OHIO STATE 94.9% |
| UCLA | 11/15 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 98.6% |
| RUTGERS | 11/22 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 91.8% |
| MICHIGAN | 11/29 | ANN ARBOR, MI | OHIO STATE 60.1% |
Movements from Week 4 to Week 5
- Minnesota: 94.2% → 94.7%
- Illinois: 82.3% → 81%
- Wisconsin: 89.2% → 90.2%
- Penn State: 67.8% → 71.2%
- Purdue: 94.4% → 94.9%
- Rutgers: 91.1% → 91.8%
- Michigan: 57.7% → 60.1%
Indiana at Oregon on Oct. 11 and Indiana at Penn State on Nov. 8 are about to be absolute cinema, aren't they? Even if the Hoosiers win just one of those games, Cignetti will have them in the College Football Playoff for the second straight year. Indiana! In the College Football Playoff! For the second straight year!
JULIAN SAYIN → ANGELIC ASSASSIN? Last week, former Washington coach and current CBS Sports college football analyst Rick Neuheisel picked Washington to beat Ohio State in Seattle, citing Julian Sayin’s inexperience as a reason the Huskies could pull off an upset.
Following Ohio State’s 24-6 win, Neuheisel appeared on The Dan Patrick Show and shared how Ryan Day, Matt Patricia and Sayin impressed him during the Buckeyes’ first road test of the 2025 season.
"I thought it was gonna be more of a game,” Patrick said. “I really thought Washington would put up a better test, but does that say more about Ohio State or Washington?"
"Well, it says a lot about Matt Patricia,” Neuheisel answered. “First of all, we’ve known that Ryan Day has this chameleon ability to see what the opponent can do and adjust a game plan without thinking about his offensive numbers. When you have a guy like Jeremiah Smith, you’ve got to get him the ball, but he doesn’t worry about getting Jeremiah Smith the ball, he worries about making the game go in the direction he wants to with his best chance to win.
“He basically suffocated Demond Williams. They had played this cage technique. They wouldn’t let him get out. At halftime, he had 0 yards rushing, and that takes a huge piece of Jedd Fisch’s offense away from him. So, I think Matt Patricia has adapted to college football beautifully. I know it was a big story when Jim Knowles left, but Patricia is really doing a great job at Ohio State.”
Despite his praise for the Buckeyes, Neuheisel declined to call them one of college football’s elite when Patrick asked him if there’s a “great team” this season.
“I don’t know (if there’s a great team). I don’t think so,” Neuheisel said. “Right now, no one is dominant, which makes the postseason, as we look ahead, seem so juicy. It is going to have so many plot twists as we get closer and closer to it, which I think we are all here for.”
Neuheisel might not consider Ohio State great (yet), but Julian Sayin? That’s a different story. When Patrick asked him if he had a “quarterback crush,” Neuheisel didn’t hesitate.
“I love this ‘Angelic Assassin,’ Julian Sayin,” he said. “He looks like he hasn’t shaved yet, but the guy is a phenomenal talent.”
Angelic Assassin?
Sayin might have himself a new nickname.
I SEE YOU, A-A-RON. Aaron Scott Jr. is not sick, dead or mute — he’s crushing kick returners on special teams.
Late in Ohio State’s win over Washington, the second-year cornerback delivered one of the hits of the season for the Buckeyes, zooming down the field on kickoff coverage and cutting down Huskies running back Adam Mohammed at the 13-yard line.
Aaron Scott Jr. laid the woodpic.twitter.com/FoViLDsf1B
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 27, 2025
When asked about Ohio State’s special teams through four games, Ryan Day acknowledged there’s room for improvement. Still, he’s pleased with the “buy-in in the program through coaches and players.” Day singled out Scott as someone who is “gonna start playing more football around here” thanks to his efforts on special teams.
“To me, he made the play that he made in the game over the last couple of weeks. The last 13 times that we’ve run down on kickoff, he was the first guy to the 30-yard line. Then he gets there in the (Washington) game, and he makes that hit inside the 20-yard line. Why? Because for the last 13 times, he was the first guy to the 30-yard line. It’s a great example — Aaron Scott is gonna start playing more football around here. That’s how you cut your teeth on special teams. That’s the culture we have. The guys buy into it.”
Special Teams : @AaronScottJr1 pic.twitter.com/Kx8U7zpXZc
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 28, 2025
A five-star prospect in the 2024 class, Scott had to wait his turn behind Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun last season, and behind Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. this season. It’s been exciting to see him thrive on special teams and make a name for himself.
Scott shared Ohio State’s Special Teams Player of the Game honors with Jayden Fielding this week — and I’m confident it won’t be the last time the Springfield, Ohio, native earns that recognition.
THIS AND THAT. Another Skull Session, another This and That™.
You know the drill.
Please, please, please listen to this hilarious interview between ESPN's John Sutcliffe and J.K. Dobbins, in which the former Ohio State and current Denver Broncos running back does his best to complete the interview in Spanish.
"EEEES LUUUUNES"
— ESPN.com.mx (@ESPNmx) September 30, 2025
Una auténtica joya el español de JK Dobbins en el Monday Night Football con @espnsutcliffe
Lo disfrutaste por ESPN y #DisneyPlus Premium pic.twitter.com/oxaEH9Sadr
Caden Curry produced several great moments on Saturday. One that's flown under the radar was when he took offense to Washington offensive lineman Landen Hatchett blocking Caleb Downs after the whistle before halftime.
Caden Curry wasnt a fan of a Washington offensive lineman blocking Caleb Downs downfield even after the play was over and took it upon himself to stand up for the star safety, even after the whistle.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) September 30, 2025
The Brotherhood, indeed. pic.twitter.com/L92Kar6SWm
You love to see that.
Shoutout to Carson Hinzman, who was the highest-graded center in college football from Week 5.
Highest Graded Center from Week 5:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 30, 2025
Carson Hinzman, Ohio State: 80.3@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/bo3tkCp1bX
You also love to see that.
That's all, folks!
DAILY DUBCAST. Josh Poloha makes his Eleven Dubcast debut today, joining Dan Hope to break down Julian Sayin’s first four games as Ohio State’s starting quarterback and what’s stood out most from his passing charts so far.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Man I Need" - Olivia Dean.
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