Welcome to the Skull Session.
Julian Sayin can sling it.
See how Julian Sayin stacks up through his first five starts leading the Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/iwVuCp5PaD
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 10, 2025
Have a good Saturday.
THE BRANDON INNISS GAME™. I’m convinced Ohio State vs. Illinois will be The Brandon Inniss Game™. I’m convinced!
Dan Hope and Andy Anders can attest that I picked Inniss as my Player to Watch in this week’s Last Call before Ohio State’s Wednesday press conference. You can imagine my excitement when, moments later, Smith called Inniss “a dog” and said the slot receiver is “something dangerous” with the ball in his hands.
“Hopefully this week he has a week that he should have,” Smith said, “and I hope the ball go his way.”
Oh, it will.
Illinois star nickel cornerback Xavier Scott has been out since the Western Michigan game on Sept. 13. Since then, slot receivers have gone scorched earth on the Illini. Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. had six catches for 78 yards and one touchdown; USC’s Makai Lemon had a career-high 11 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns; and Purdue’s Michael Jackson III had 14 catches (!) for 94 yards. That’s 31 catches, 323 yards and three scores allowed to slot receivers in the past three weeks. Yikes.
Every game is The Jeremiah Smith Game. If Carnell Tate continues to dominate, every game could be The Carnell Tate Game, too. But so far this season, Inniss hasn’t been much of a factor in Ohio State’s offense, with just nine catches for 73 yards through five games. That should change against Illinois, whose defense can’t contain slot receivers — or any receivers, for that matter. On the year, Illinois ranks No. 93 in total defense (387.5 yards per game) and No. 113 in pass defense (252.3 yards per game). Yikes, part two.
Knowing all of that, I want to see Ohio State cut Julian Sayin loose and let Brandon Inniss run free in Champaign. If the Buckeyes do that — and the defense continues to dominate at a historic rate — Ryan Day and Co. will head back to Columbus with a comfortable win.
Ohio State 38 - Illinois 10
THE MENU. There are some excellent matchups in college football this weekend, most of which Dan Hope, Andy Anders and I have selected in the Our Picks section down below.
Can I interest you in these?
- No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois (Noon, FOX)
- No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri (Noon, ABC)
- No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon (3:30 p.m., CBS)
- No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas (3:30 p.m., ABC)
- No. 15 Michigan at USC (7:30 p.m., NBC)
And how about aaaaaallllll of these?
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| UCF at Cincinnati | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Charlotte at Army | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Miami (Ohio) at Akron | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois | 12:00pm | FOX |
| UCLA at Michigan State | 12:00pm | BTN |
| No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Pitt at No. 25 Florida State | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| Stanford at SMU | 12:00pm | The CW |
| Houston at Oklahoma State | 12:00pm | TNT/HBO Max |
| Toledo at Bowling Green | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Louisiana at James Madison | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Washington State at #4 Ole Miss | 12:45pm | SECN |
| NIU at Eastern Michigan | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMass at Kent State | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| NC State at #16 Notre Dame | 3:30pm | Peacock |
| Old Dominion at Marshall | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Ball State at Western Michigan | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Appalachian State at Georgia State | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Air Force at UNLV | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| TCU at Kansas State | 3:30pm | FOX |
| No. 22 Iowa State at Colorado | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Wake Forest at Oregon State | 3:30pm | The CW |
| Virginia Tech at No. 13 Georgia Tech | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| No. 6 Oklahoma vs Texas (in Dallas, TX) | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Northwestern at Penn State | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| Nebraska at Maryland | 3:30pm | BTN |
| No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon | 3:30pm | CBS/Paramount+ |
| Navy at Temple | 4:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Arkansas at No. 12 Tennessee | 4:15pm | SECN |
| UAB at Florida Atlantic | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ULM at Coastal Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| San Jose State at Wyoming | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Florida at #5 Texas A&M | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Iowa at Wisconsin | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| No. 15 Michigan at USC | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| Purdue at Minnesota | 7:30pm | BTN |
| No. 10 Georgia at Auburn | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Clemson at Boston College | 7:30pm | ACCN |
| Kansas at No. 9 Texas Tech | 7:30pm | FOX |
| Rice at UTSA | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| South Carolina at #11 LSU | 7:45pm | SECN |
| No. 18 BYU at Arizona | 8:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Troy at Texas State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| New Mexico at Boise State | 9:45pm | FS1 |
| No. 21 Arizona State at Utah | 10:15pm | ESPN |
| San Diego State at Nevada | 10:30pm | CBSSN |
| Utah State at Hawaii | 11:59pm | Spectrum / Scripps / MWN |
OUR PICKS. Yeaaaaaahhhhhh, here we goooooo. I'm still in the lead after Week 6 of Our Picks. Here are the standings to this point and Our Picks for Week 7:
Andy: 11-19
Chase: 16-14
Dan: 14-16
UCLA at Michigan State (-8.5)
After the Bruins’ incredible win over Penn State, I had to include them in this week’s picks. UCLA has momentum for the first time this season, but it could come to a screeching halt considering the obstacles the Bruins will face this weekend — namely, 2,220 miles of travel and a 9 a.m. PT/noon ET kickoff at Spartan Stadium. For our purposes, UCLA just needs to keep it a one-touchdown game against 3-2 Michigan State, which shouldn’t be too hard after beating then-No. 7 Penn State at home, right? … right?
Andy: Michigan State
Chase: UCLA
Dan: UCLA
No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri (+3.5)
Congratulations, Alabama. You broke free from the Commodores… and escaped into the jungle? Eli Drinkwitz and Penn State transfer Beau Pribula have Missouri lookin’ dangerous this season, as the Tigers are one of two teams (Indiana is the other) to rank in the top five in total offense (547.6) and total defense (203.8). Alabama is still a four-point favorite, but I should note that Bill Connelly’s SP+ has Missouri favored to win this one and Austin Mock’s College Football Projection Model sees the Crimson Tide as just two-point favorites.
Andy: Alabama
Chase: Missouri
Dan: Alabama
No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas (+1.5)
The Red River Rivalry used to be called The Red River Shootout. The former name sounded much cooler, but the new name fits this year’s matchup much better, as the over/under is 43.5. Why? Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is probable, but he’s still two weeks removed from hand surgery. Meanwhile, Arch Manning and the Texas offense have looked constipated. (There are several words I could have chosen that were better, but constipated made me laugh.) Expect a defensive clash in Dallas, with the team that wins the turnover battle likely coming out on top.
Andy: Oklahoma
Chase: Oklahoma
Dan: Texas
No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon (-7.5)
Following Penn State’s failure in Los Angeles, Oregon’s statement win at Beaver Stadium looks a little different than it did at the time, but that won’t matter if the Ducks take care of business as a 7.5-point favorite this weekend. Indiana beat the opponents it was supposed to last season, but the Hoosiers fell flat — really flat — against superior opponents, suffering a 38-15 loss at Ohio State and a 27-17 loss at Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff (it was 27-3 with less than two minutes left). Will this year be different for Curt Cignetti and Co.?
Andy: Oregon
Chase: Indiana
Dan: Oregon
No. 15 Michigan at USC (-2.5)
Ohio State and Oregon look like College Football Playoff locks, while Indiana, Michigan and USC are among those battling to become the Big Ten’s third and fourth postseason teams. A Michigan win in Los Angeles would likely keep the Wolverines in the race until the Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor on Nov. 29. A USC win would also be huge for the Trojans’ playoff hopes, though upcoming matchups with Notre Dame (Oct. 18) and Oregon (Nov. 22) could make their path a steep one.
Andy: USC
Chase: USC
Dan: Michigan
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. Nick Saban believes Ohio State is great and both Oregon and Indiana are legit. But the rest of the Big Ten? Eh. Saban said the conference pales in comparison to the SEC.
“I don’t think the Big Ten is really that deep,” Saban said on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday. “It’s not like the SEC where you got eight or nine teams that can beat you. There might be three or four teams in the Big Ten that can beat you.”
"Alright isn't what I'm talking about
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 10, 2025
Ohio State is great but I'm talking about the depth in the Big Ten..
There's a lot of good teams in the SEC"
Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jrN6HyQKv2
McAfee’s co-hosts, including former Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, pushed back on Saban’s take, which I think the seven-time national champion coach expected.
“I mean, Penn State? I mean, tell me the good teams. Maybe Michigan. Well, we’ll see tomorrow (about USC) — they’re alright, but alright is not really what I’m talking about. I mean, you think USC is gonna beat Ohio State? You think that would be a game if they played? Really?”
Saban continued: “You have Oregon, Indiana, legit so far. We’ll see how legit Indiana is probably (on Saturday). I mean, Illinois got beat like a redhead stepchild down at Indiana, so are they legit? I mean, come on. Ohio State is great. … A&M is pretty good, Georgia is pretty good, Ole Miss is pretty good, Alabama has got a chance, Missouri has got a chance. I mean, there’s a lot of good teams. Tennessee is pretty good.”
Look, I think Saban has a point, but I’ll throw down the trump card: the Big Ten has won the last two national championships. Yes, one was illegitimate, but the other was legitimate!
Right now, I’d bet most sportsbooks have either Ohio State, Oregon or Miami winning the national title this year. In what conference do those teams play? Oh yeah, the Big Ten and ACC. So you can have your deep conferences, but if it’s not producing champions, then I don’t give a dern!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Scrapple sculpture contest winner prevailed in Eagles country by putting the pig into pigskin... Savannah Bananas will be joined by 5 barnstorming teams in 2026 as Banana Ball continues to grow... The Dubai chocolate craze is now about much more than bars... The Arch Manning Experience vs. the Arch Manning–Industrial Complex... The best time to exercise before bed.
