Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State's quarterback was PFF's highest-graded signal-caller in Week 7.
Just Sayin.
Highest Graded @PFF_College Week 7 QB
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 13, 2025
QB1 @juliansayin2 pic.twitter.com/uGpA29QEd0
Have a good Wednesday.
THE COMPUTERS! It's Wednesday. You know what that means. This week, The Computers view Ohio State as the best team in college football, as the Buckeyes ranked No. 1 in both the College Football Power Index and SP+.
College Football Power Index
| TEAM | RECORD | FPI | WIN OUT | WIN CONF | MAKE CFP | WIN CFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 6-0 | 25.9 | 35.9% | 51.5% | 95.8% | 24.4% |
| INDIANA | 6-0 | 22.8 | 26.1% | 38.1% | 92.6% | 15.2% |
| ALABAMA | 5-1 | 22.6 | 17.5% | 51.3% | 84.5% | 13.2% |
| NOTRE DAME | 4-2 | 22 | 48.3% | N/A | 23.8% | 1.8% |
| OREGON | 5-1 | 21.9 | 16.9% | 5.6% | 62.8% | 5.5% |
Ohio State's future opponents in the College Football Power Index: Wisconsin (66), Penn State (21), Purdue (74), UCLA (67), Rutgers (54), Michigan (17)
SP+
| TEAM | RECORD | RATING | OFFENSE | DEFENSE | SPECIAL TEAMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 6-0 | 27.6 | 39.3 (8) | 10.7 (2) | 0.1 (55) |
| OREGON | 5-1 | 25.1 | 39.3 (5) | 14.6 (7) | 0.4 (3) |
| INDIANA | 6-0 | 24.6 | 37.9 (12) | 13.6 (5) | 0.3 (8) |
| TEXAS TECH | 6-0 | 24.6 | 41.1 (2) | 16.7 (17) | 0.2 (31) |
| TEXAS A&M | 6-0 | 22.2 | 37.9 (11) | 15.8 (11) | 0.1 (57) |
Ohio State's future opponents in the SP+: Wisconsin (72), Penn State (18), Purdue (75), UCLA (99), Rutgers (50), Michigan (22)
Matchup Predictor
| OPPONENT | DATE | LOCATION | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| WISCONSIN | 10/18 | MADISON, WI | OHIO STATE 94.8% |
| PENN STATE | 11/1 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 86.3% |
| PURDUE | 11/8 | WEST LAFAYETTE, IN | OHIO STATE 96.3% |
| UCLA | 11/15 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 97.6% |
| RUTGERS | 11/22 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 94.5% |
| MICHIGAN | 11/29 | ANN ARBOR, MI | OHIO STATE 74.4% |
Movements from Week 7 to Week 8
- Wisconsin: 91% → 94.8%
- Penn State: 80.9% → 86.3%
- Purdue: 95.5% → 96.3%
- UCLA: 98.2% → 97.6%
- Rutgers: 93.3% → 94.5%
- Michigan: 66.2% → 74.4%
Those are some really high percentages in Ohio State's favor, especially the one for Michigan, which I love to see. Speaking of the Wolverines, have you seen some of the Sherrone Moore memes this week? They had me belly laughing on Tuesday.
STOP RIGHT NOW! For the second straight week, Ohio State is the No. 3 team in stop rate. This time, however, the Buckeyes trail Texas Tech and Texas in the metric, not Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The Longhorns and Sooners swapped spots after the Red River Rivalry, in which Texas forced three John Mateer interceptions en route to a 23-6 win in Dallas.
ESPN's Max Olson created stop rate to measure the percentage of a defense's drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs for all 136 FBS teams. Entering Week 8, the Buckeyes (81.3%) ranked third behind Texas Tech (84.1%) and Texas (82.6%) in the metric.
| TEAM | GAMES* | STOP RATE | PTS/DRIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS TECH | 5 | 84.1% | 0.96 |
| TEXAS | 6 | 82.6% | 0.93 |
| OHIO STATE | 5 | 81.3% | 0.85 |
| OKLAHOMA | 5 | 80% | 0.89 |
| LSU | 5 | 80% | 1.11 |
| TOLEDO | 5 | 77.8% | 1.43 |
| INDIANA | 5 | 77.6% | 1.02 |
| MEMPHIS | 5 | 77.6% | 1.34 |
| JAMES MADISON | 5 | 77.4% | 1.25 |
| SAN DIEGO STATE | 5 | 77.2% | 1.25 |
| *GAMES VS. FBS OPPONENTS | |||
Wait, so Texas beat No. 6 Oklahoma, and its defense ranks second in stop rate?
I thought Texas was overrated, Steve Sarkisian was washed and Arch Manning was college football's first flop? I also thought that, despite losing 14 NFL draft picks and having a quarterback making his first career start, Ohio State's win over the Longhorns wasn't all that impressive. Isn't that what the college football experts wanted me to think? Hmmmmmm?
I digress.
In addition to the No. 1 stop rate, Texas Tech has the No. 6 scoring defense, No. 9 total defense, No. 41 passing defense and No. 1 rushing defense in college football. Texas ranks No. 3, No. 11, No. 32 and No. 4 in those categories, while Ohio State ranks No. 1, No. 4, No. 7 and No. 9.
I mentioned it last week, so I'll mention it now: $3.1 million coordinator Jim Knowles and his Penn State defense rank No. 51 in stop rate at 64.2%. The Nittany Lions are allowing 1.89 points per drive. They also rank No. 27 in scoring defense, No. 22 in total defense, No. 15 in passing defense and No. 70 in rushing defense.
DEVELOPED HERE. I think Mel Kiper lost some street cred when he had a meltdown on live television over Shedeur Sanders' freefall in the 2025 NFL draft. However, he's still one of the most, if not the most, tenured NFL draft analysts in the media, and I think his name carries a decent amount of weight; therefore, I want to share his current 2026 Big Board, which features Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate in the top 12.
No. 4 - Arvell Reese
This is a complete football player. Reese jumps off the Ohio State tape, playing the game like a veteran. I see natural instincts at the linebacker position that allow him to make plays most guys just can't make, and he has the burst to get home when turned loose as a pass rusher. Reese has been a big riser in this class.
No. 7 - Caleb Downs
Downs — the brother of NFL wide receiver Josh Downs and the son of former NFL running back Gary Downs — is basically an extension of the defensive coordinator. His football knowledge shows in his play; it's obvious when you watch him in the Ohio State defense. But what really impressed me is how well he picked up Nick Saban's system as a 2023 freshman at Alabama before transferring. He diagnoses quickly thanks to excellent pre-snap instincts, and that allows him to play faster than his straight-line speed might suggest. Plus, Downs is solid in coverage, and he is a very reliable open-field tackler.
No. 12 - Carnell Tate
Ohio State has turned into Wide Receiver U, with Emeka Egbuka being the most recent star wideout to come out of Columbus. And while most of the college football world focuses on Jeremiah Smith (who isn't eligible for the 2026 draft), Tate is putting up some serious numbers and showing why he is a top prospect for this class. Tate has produced big plays on a regular basis, averaging 17 yards per catch this season. He is a precise route runner, has great hands and displays outstanding body control. And he'll also happily block for ball carriers, which NFL coaches love to see.
Here's where Kiper placed Reese, Downs, Tate and four other Buckeyes in his position rankings:
- Carnell Tate: No. 3 wide receiver
- Max Klare: No. 2 tight end
- Caden Curry: No. 7 defensive end
- Kayden McDonald: No. 6 defensive tackle
- Arvell Reese: No. 1 off-ball linebacker
- Sonny Styles: No. 5 off-ball linebacker
- Caleb Downs: No. 1 safety
Kiper is sleeping on McDonald. He's sleeping on him! The Ohio State defensive tackle has 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in six games. As Andy Anders stated in his Stock Report earlier this week, that kind of production is rare from someone who lines up in the dead center of the line of scrimmage.
"WHO BEATS THEM?" Fox Sports' Joel Klatt has viewed Ohio State as college football's best team for weeks, and he asked three important questions about the Buckeyes on The Joel Klatt Show on Monday:
- What happens when Ohio State turns it on like it did last season in the College Football Playoff?
- What happens when the Buckeyes loosen up the offense?
- What team in the country can score 17 points against Ohio State?
"The clear No. 1. Folks, this team is separating themselves out. They haven't even shifted into third gear. Ohio State's the best team in the country. That's the best defense in the country. Their quarterback is the most efficient quarterback in the country. They still have the best players in the country. They are really good. They don't even have to go to third gear to win these games on the road. Illinois had the best, most explosive offense over the last couple of weeks in college football and did nothing.
"If you realize this — and some people don't because Washington is still not ranked — but Washington's offense is one of the best offenses in all of college football. Demond Williams (Jr.) threw the ball for over 400 yards and ran for (136) yards on Friday... like, this guy was a one-man wrecking crew against Rutgers. Guess what he did against Ohio State? Nothing. Nothing. You know, like, at some point you have to realize, hey, this team is the best team in the country. Arvell Reese is one of the best players in the country. They still got (Jeremiah) Smith on the outside.
"What happens when they turn it on like they did late in the season last year in the playoffs and start really going down the field and start really loosening up that offense? I mean, who beats them? Who beats them? What team in the country can score 17 points against Ohio State? Now, Illinois scored 16, and one of those was a late touchdown, but Illinois had been the most explosive offense in the country over the previous two weeks. So for me, it doesn't get much better than Ohio State at this point. Once we see them get into third gear and fourth gear, I think that they'll be showing something."
High praise, but deserved praise!
DAILY DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast brings on Chris Lauderback to discuss the recent shortcomings by Ohio State punting the football recently relative to Ryan Day's recent comments that punts have been a "mixed bag" this season.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Stop" - Spice Girls.
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