Welcome to the Skull Session.
Julian Sayin will appear on this week's Downs 2 Business:
We got QB1 aka J-Cool aka Julian Sayin joining #Downs2Business tomorrow!
— Downs 2 Business (@downs2business) October 28, 2025
Julian chops it up with Josh & Caleb about his favorite NFL QBs, what its like leading an elite offense, and gives a preview of the rest of Ohio States schedule.
Full episode drops tomorrow dont pic.twitter.com/CNePstm2Hm
Have a good Wednesday.
THE COMPUTERS! It's Hump Day. You know what that means. This week, The Computers are conflicted about whether Ohio State is the best team in college football. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 1 in the College Football Power Index, but there's a new No. 1 in the SP+: Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers.
College Football Power Index
| TEAM | RECORD | FPI | WIN OUT | WIN CONF | MAKE CFP | WIN CFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 7-0 | 27.1 | 38.6% | 47.9% | 96.1% | 24.4% |
| INDIANA | 8-0 | 25.1 | 33.1% | 42.7% | 96.8% | 20.1% |
| OREGON | 7-1 | 23.4 | 25.7% | 5.4% | 74.4% | 7.1% |
| ALABAMA | 7-1 | 22.7 | 31.1% | 57.6% | 93.2% | 13.7% |
| NOTRE DAME | 5-2 | 22.3 | 68.2% | N/A | 30.4% | 2% |
Ohio State's future opponents in the College Football Power Index: Penn State (21), Purdue (81), UCLA (64), Rutgers (62), Michigan (15)
SP+
| TEAM | RECORD | RATING | OFFENSE | DEFENSE | SPECIAL TEAMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INDIANA | 8-0 | 27.9 | 39.7 (6) | 12.2 (2) | 0.4 (11) |
| OHIO STATE | 7-0 | 27.5 | 37.8 (11) | 10.2 (1) | 0 (77) |
| OREGON | 7-1 | 26.9 | 39.1 (7) | 12.5 (5) | 0.3 (28) |
| TEXAS TECH | 7-1 | 23.9 | 38.9 (9) | 15 (8) | 0 (65) |
| TEXAS A&M | 8-0 | 21.3 | 40.3 (3) | 19.1 (21) | 0.1 (60) |
Ohio State's future opponents in the SP+: Penn State (20), Purdue (77), UCLA (96), Rutgers (63), Michigan (21)
Matchup Predictor
| OPPONENT | DATE | LOCATION | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| PENN STATE | 11/1 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 88.1% |
| PURDUE | 11/8 | WEST LAFAYETTE, IN | OHIO STATE 97.3% |
| UCLA | 11/15 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 98.2% |
| RUTGERS | 11/22 | COLUMBUS, OH | OHIO STATE 96.7% |
| MICHIGAN | 11/29 | ANN ARBOR, MI | OHIO STATE 75.7% |
Movements from Week 9 to Week 10
- Penn State: 87.9% → 88.1%
- Purdue: 97.1% → 97.3%
- UCLA: 97.8% → 98.2%
- Rutgers: 96.9% → 96.7%
- Michigan: 75.3% → 75.7%
Rutgers?! Of all the opponents for the Matchup Predictor show favor to — albeit by 0.2% — it favors Rutgers?!
STOP! HEY, WHAT'S THAT RATE? Two teams in college football have allowed fewer than one point per drive after nine weeks: Ohio State (0.72) and Texas Tech (0.97).
For the second straight week, Ohio State ranked No. 1 in stop rate at 84.2%. The Buckeyes lead a new-look top five, which features Texas Tech (82.1%), San Diego State (82.1%), future NFL head coach Steve Sarkisian and Texas (78.8%), and Oregon (78.2%). The top 10 also experienced some shake-up, as Iowa climbed to No. 6 at 77.6% ahead of James Madison (76.9%), SP+ No. 1 Indiana (76.6%), Oklahoma (76.3%) and the home of Tony Packo's Toledo (76.2%).
| TEAM | GAMES* | STOP RATE | PTS/DRIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 6 | 84.2% | 0.72 |
| TEXAS TECH | 7 | 82.1% | 0.97 |
| SAN DIEGO STATE | 6 | 80.9% | 1.04 |
| TEXAS | 8 | 78.8% | 1.16 |
| OREGON | 7 | 78.2% | 1.22 |
| IOWA | 7 | 77.6% | 1.20 |
| JAMES MADISON | 6 | 76.9% | 1.32 |
| INDIANA | 7 | 76.6% | 1.01 |
| OKLAHOMA | 7 | 76.3% | 1.10 |
| TOLEDO | 7 | 76.2% | 1.52 |
| *GAMES VS. FBS OPPONENTS | |||
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.
Again, I don't mean to beat a dead horse with this statistic, but I still can't believe it's real: Ohio State's 41 points allowed are the fewest by an FBS team through seven games since 1993 Florida State (38). That Seminoles team went on to allow 75 points in 12 games (6.25 per contest), a mark the Buckeyes could surpass, considering the remainder of the schedule includes Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, Rutgers and Michigan, all of which rank outside the top 40 in total offense (Rutgers is the best at No. 40!) and top 36 in scoring offense (Penn State is best at No. 36!) through Week 9.
I believe Patricia and Co. can do it!
Oh!
ICYMI: Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope compared Patricia and Ohio State's defense to Jim Knowles and Penn State's defense in 10 statistical categories. Spoiler: Patricia... gooooood. Knowles... baaaaaad.
LOST IN MY MIND. Ryan Day wandered lost in his mind last weekend — or more literally, in The MAIZE at Little Darby Creek, a corn maze shaped like him.
Credit to WSYX’s Dave Holmes for asking the question we all wanted to know the answer to at Tuesday’s press conference: Did Ryan Day really stroll through a corn maze of himself during Ohio State’s bye week, or is this just another one of those AI-generated stories that people fall for on Facebook?
"I've read a lot of things on the internet, AI, that are not true, so I would say that it's hitting about 20 percent," Day said, "but that actually is true."
It's true: Ryan Day walked through a corn maze shaped like him last weekend. He passed on The Haunt, though pic.twitter.com/1gkPW6HvDC
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 28, 2025
Day said he and his family have visited The MAIZE over the years and always enjoy the experience.
"It was great. It's great to do things like that when we're in the Woody during the season, you know, just trying to get away for a couple of hours," Day said. "We call it 'The Submarine' right here because this is where we are, we don't go out in public, we don't do much. But to hear people there talk about how we were glad that Ohio State is on a bye week because we get a lot more people here, and then when we're playing on Saturdays, there's nobody here — it's just a great opportunity to get an idea of how important football is in the community."
While Day had a good time in The MAIZE, he decided to pass on The HAUNT.
"I did a couple of years ago, and we were going through the HAUNT, and you know, it was quite an experience," Day said. "At one point, somebody with a mask jumps up, they're right there, and they're like, 'Coach Day?' I was like, 'Man, I got to get the heck out of here.' So I said, 'I'm gonna pass this year and let the kids do it.' And Nina and I waited."
I think that was a good call.
"ONE OF THE WORST HUMANS." Former LSU defensive back Matthew Langlois went scorched earth on Brian Kelly this week. After LSU fired Kelly, Langlois used his Twitter Fingers to share that Kelly is "one of the worst humans I've been around, ever."
Geez-ow.
Here's what Langlois' since-deleted posts said:
"I was FORCED to medically retire before I could get a 2nd or 3rd opinion," Langlois said in his first post. "When I was playing very well before my injury, I'd hear from Coach Kelly quite often. The second I got injured, not a word since. Genuinely one of the worst humans I've been around, ever."
He continued in a second post, "Unless you were producing positively for him on the field, he could care less about you. He'd pass me in the hallways, not a glimpse, not a word. He's only in it for the money and himself. Absolutely ruined the culture of LSU football and I hope people see the real Brian Kelly."
Oh, we've seen him around here for a loooooong time. I'm glad that what was done in the dark has been brought to the light!
DAILY DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast brings on Dan Hope to speak on Ryan Day's recent comments regarding the departure of Jim Knowles and how the feelings between the two could dictate Ohio State's aggressiveness towards Penn State this weekend.
DOUBLE SONG OF THE DAY! I couldn't decide, so you can decide!
"For What It's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield.
"Lost In My Mind" - The Head and the Heart.
CUT TO THE CHASE. The DI Board voted to delay the effective date of the sports betting legislative change to Nov. 22... Monkeys escape from overturned truck on Mississippi highway... Rare dinosaur mummies help scientists recreate their prehistoric lives... "A moment of glory": How the daughter of two Ohio State "i dotters" fulfilled her destiny... Music could help ease pain from surgery or illness. Scientists are listening.
