Welcome to the Skull Session.
Whenever I hear the word "Boilermakers," I think of the scene from Marvel's Thor where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) are at a bar and Selvig asks the bartender for two Boilermakers. I have no idea if a Boilermaker is good, but it looks good in this scene!
Have a good Saturday.
PURDONT. Purdue is in a much better place under Barry Odom than it was under Ryan Walters, who stumbled to a 5-19 record in his two seasons as head coach.
Odom is a program builder.
In 2016, he took over at Missouri, which went 5-7 under Gary Pinkel in 2015. Hindered by NCAA sanctions, the Tigers took a step backward in Odom’s first season, but went a combined 15-11 with appearances in the Texas Bowl and Liberty Bowl in years two and three. While Missouri moved on from him in 2020, he laid much of the foundation that Eli Drinkwitz built upon while reestablishing the Tigers as a respectable SEC program.
In 2023, Odom took over at UNLV, a school that had one winning season in 22 years, and immediately overhauled the roster to win nine games. The following year, he attacked the transfer portal even harder and won 11.
Odom is now looking to complete his next turnaround at Purdue — and he has Ryan Day’s attention while he navigates the process.
“I think Barry Odom is a very, very good coach,” Day said on Tuesday. “These guys are well-coached. He is a good man and a good football coach. I know he’s got a good staff there. Put on the film and watch them play last week (against Michigan). We know we have to continue to get better this week. We have to bring it at 1 o’clock on Saturday.”
The next day, Day shared his respect for Odom again. This time, Day revealed that he once approached Odom about being Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
“Everywhere Barry’s gone, he’s been a great defensive coordinator,” Day said. “He and I have had conversations in the past about maybe an opportunity here going back a few years. I’ve just got a lot of respect for him.”
I have learned to respect Odom, too.
But that doesn’t mean I think Purdue has a snowball’s chance in hell to beat Ohio State on Saturday.
In a House of Horrors that is Ross-Ade Stadium, the Buckeyes look to maintain their same methodical approach. This one will be over at halftime, and when the fourth quarter rolls around, I look forward to seeing Ohio State’s depth receive valuable reps in a road environment, which should prove crucial for the Buckeyes as the program marches toward The Game and the postseason.
Ohio State 42 - Purdue 6
THE MENU. This week’s college football slate includes a top-10 banger, a couple of premier Big Ten battles and much, much more:
In addition to Ohio State vs. Purdue (1 p.m. on BTN), here’s a look at some of the top matchups in Week 11:
- No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech (Noon on ABC)
- No. 2 Indiana at Penn State (Noon on FOX)
- No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa (3:30 p.m. on CBS)
- LSU at No. 4 Alabama (7:30 p.m. on ABC)
Here’s a look at the complete schedule:
| MATCHUP | TIME (ET) | TV/STREAMING |
|---|---|---|
| James Madison at Marshall | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| SMU at Boston College | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| Temple at Army | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Southern Miss at Arkansas State | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Colorado at West Virginia | 12:00pm | TNT/HBO Max |
| #7 BYU at #8 Texas Tech | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| #2 Indiana at Penn State | 12:00pm | FOX |
| #5 Georgia at Mississippi State | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| #1 Ohio State at Purdue | 1:00pm | BTN |
| Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Missouri State at Liberty | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| The Citadel at #6 Ole Miss | 1:00pm | SECN+ |
| UAB at Rice | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Maryland at Rutgers | 2:30pm | FS1 |
| FIU at Middle Tennessee | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Jacksonville State at UTEP | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana Tech at Delaware | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Charlotte at East Carolina | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Tulsa at Florida Atlantic | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Iowa State at TCU | 3:30pm | FOX |
| Kansas at Arizona | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Syracuse at #18 Miami (FL) | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Duke at UConn | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| #3 Texas A&M at #22 Missouri | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| #9 Oregon at #20 Iowa | 3:30pm | CBS/Paramount+ |
| Auburn at #16 Vanderbilt | 4:00pm | SECN |
| Kennesaw State at New Mexico State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia State at Coastal Carolina | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stanford at North Carolina | 4:30pm | The CW |
| #23 Washington at Wisconsin | 4:30pm | BTN |
| Texas State at Louisiana | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Air Force at San Jose State | 6:00pm | FS1 |
| California at #15 Louisville | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Florida State at Clemson | 7:00pm | ACCN |
| Wake Forest at #14 Virginia | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| LSU at #4 Alabama | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Florida at Kentucky | 7:30pm | SECN |
| Nevada at Utah State | 7:30pm | CBSSN |
| Navy at #10 Notre Dame | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| Nebraska at UCLA | 9:00pm | FOX |
| UNLV at Colorado State | 9:30pm | FS1 |
| Sam Houston at Oregon State | 10:00pm | The CW |
OUR PICKS. Again, I'll ask that no one go back and look at Our Picks from last week. We, um, did not do well. But it's time to bounce back!
Andy: 14-31
Chase: 23-22
Dan: 18-27
No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech (-10.5)
A Big 12 title favorite will emerge on Saturday when BYU and Texas Tech face off in Lubbock. The Cougars enter undefeated, while the Red Raiders’ lone blemish is an unexpected 26-22 loss at Arizona. What interests me most about this matchup is the margin of victory. Texas Tech’s wins have come by 24, 24, 25, 42, and 23 points. BYU’s have come by three, 14, six (in double overtime), three, and 14. The Red Raiders have shown they can dominate, while the Cougars have proven they can survive close games. Do with that information what you will.
Andy: BYU
Chase: BYU
Dan: BYU
No. 2 Indiana at Penn State (+14.5)
Reports out of State College indicate Penn State’s players have looked defeated at practice. Five straight losses will do that — and so will the expectation that a sixth is imminent. Indiana enters Beaver Stadium as a two-touchdown favorite on Saturday. The Nittany Lions still have enough talent to keep this game competitive, but the Hoosiers have looked like world-beaters as Curt Cignetti and Co. march toward the Big Ten Championship Game and a College Football Playoff berth.
Andy: Indiana
Chase: Indiana
Dan: Indiana
No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa (+6.5)
I think (?) it’s a consensus that Dan Lanning > Kirk Ferentz and Oregon’s roster > Iowa’s roster, but (!) as The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman wrote this week, “Kinnick Stadium is where championship contenders fall apart, especially in November.” Under Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes are 5-1 at home against top-10 opponents after Halloween. That includes victories over No. 3 Penn State in 2008, No. 2 Michigan in 2016 and No. 3 Ohio State in 2017… ** shivers **. Will Oregon be Iowa’s latest victim, or will it break the trend?
Andy: Oregon
Chase: Iowa
Dan: Iowa
Florida State at Clemson (-1.5)
It’s been a minute since I’ve included Florida State or Clemson in Our Picks. There’s a good reason for that: both teams stink out loud. The Seminoles opened their season with a 31-17 win over Alabama (!), but have since fallen to Virginia, Miami, Pitt and Stanford. Meanwhile, the Tigers started with a 17-10 loss to LSU and have since dropped games to Georgia Tech, Syracuse, SMU and Duke. Florida State is 4-4. Clemson is 3-5. The Tigers are a two-point favorite. Good luck picking this one.
Andy: Florida State
Chase: Clemson
Dan: Florida State
LSU at No. 4 Alabama (-9.5)
LSU fired Brian Kelly almost two weeks ago, but it took until Thursday for Kelly to release a statement that ChatGPT may or may not have written — and I think there’s a non-zero chance it did. The point is: vibes in Baton Rouge are low. They could get even lower after LSU’s trip to Tuscaloosa. Alabama has beaten the Tigers in 12 of their last 14 matchups, including a 42-13 win in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as head coach in 2024.
Andy: Alabama
Chase: Alabama
Dan: Alabama
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. I thought this Ohio State football Instagram post was really fun:
So many glow-ups!
SONG OF THE DAY. “Radioactive” - Imagine Dragons.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Rare footage shows sucker fish as they whale-surf in the ocean’s wildest joyride… Colombian artists transform Pablo Escobar’s hippos and excesses into art… Dog is rescued from a busy Boston tunnel during rush hour… All roads in ancient Rome stretched far longer than previously known, study shows… Grammy Nominations 2026: Kendrick Lamar leads with nine as Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas land among top nominees.
