Skull Session: Jeremiah Smith Hates That Team Up North, Sonny Styles Calls The Game the Best Rivalry in Sports and Mirror Lake Jumps Looked Epic

By Chase Brown on November 27, 2025 at 5:00 am
Jeremiah Smith
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Two more sleeps.

Have a good Thanksgiving!

 THANK YOU, ALL. To start, thank you, Skull Session readers and the entire Eleven Warriors community, for your support over the past two-plus years. Working at 11W has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and I can’t express how grateful I am that over 25,000 people read my Skull Sessions daily. It’s truly an honor to work and write for you.

Today, make sure to tell someone you love them and that you’re thankful for them. We could all use a little more love and compassion, so share that as often as you can. Better yet, make it part of your daily routine. Imagine how that could change the direction of each day.

Once again, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. A million times, thank you. You are the best Ohio State fans around.

 JEREMIAH SMITH, TRUE BUCKEYE. Ask Jeremiah Smith about Michigan, and the man has zero filter. Here are my favorite clips from this week's Downs 2 Business podcast:

That's why he's the GOAT! The GOAT!

 “THIS IS THE BEST RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL.” I know some Ohio State fans will never respect That Team Up North again after the Wolverines cheated. I get it — I might even be in the same boat. Still, I admired how Sonny Styles spoke about the rivalry on Wednesday. His words were a reminder that the rivalry has hatred as its fuel but respect as its foundation — a foundation that holds up even in a battle defined by competition, consequence and mutual obsession.

“This is the best rivalry in college football. You could probably say in all of sports, honestly,” Styles said on The Ryan Day Radio Show. “To be fair, it’s two great programs. Obviously, we don’t really like each other, but we try to give them respect. They’re a great program. It wouldn’t be a great rivalry if they (weren’t). It’s awesome to be a part of.”

“I think the biggest message from Coach Day is just sticking to our routine, sticking to our mindset that we come into every game with and what we do and who we are,” Styles said hours later during player interviews at Ohio State. “Obviously, you respect the rivalry, you respect that it’s The Game, and you know how big it is, but you can’t go into the game thinking about the stakes and what’s on the line. You go into the game, you do what you do. Trust your fundamentals, trust your training, and see what happens.”

A Pickerington, Ohio, native, I trust that Styles understands the rivalry as well as anyone — and I trust that he will deliver when it matters most in Ann Arbor.

 TEAR IT DOWN! OK, OK, I know I just made a big deal about respect and whatnot. However, it’s tradition for me this week to watch the video of Ohio State tearing down Michigan’s sacred M Club banner in 1973.

I will forever chuckle at Bob Ufer’s completely over-the-top reaction:

“They're tearing down Michigan's coveted M Club banner! They will meet a dastardly fate here for that! There isn't a Michigan man in the stadium who wouldn't like to go out and scalp those Buckeyes right now! They had the audacity – the unmitigated gall – to tear down the coveted M that Michigan is going to run out from under!”

I want Ohio State to prepare for and win The Game with class. But I’ll admit: there’s a small part of me that would love to see the Buckeyes run out of the tunnel on Saturday and tear down the banner again, 52 years later. To do that and then pummel the Wolverines in their own stadium? Oh, man, that would make up for the flag planting tenfold.

 REMEMBER WHEN… MIRROR LAKE JUMPS. While watching Ohio State tear down the M Club banner has become a yearly tradition for me, I never had the chance to take part in the Mirror Lake Jump during my four years on campus.

Buckeye Huddle’s Tony Gerdeman posted a video of the tradition before The Game in 2024, and it resurfaced on my X timeline this week.

The Mirror Lake Jump was one of Ohio State’s most iconic traditions until 2015, when a student tragically died from cardiac arrest after entering the water in freezing conditions.

I fully recognize the weight of that tragedy — and I don’t want to dishonor the student’s memory by asking this — but I’ve often wondered what the experience was like. If you have memories of the Mirror Lake Jump and feel comfortable sharing them, I’d love to read them in the comments below.

 HOW DID WE GET HERE? I’m thankful for the Ohio State football season so far. From the opener against Texas to the win over Rutgers, the Buckeyes have transformed into the most dominant team in college football over the past 13 weeks. Ohio State’s creative team has captured much of that evolution through their lenses, documenting every step. How about we end today’s Skull Session with a quick stroll down Memory Lane?

Texas

Grambling State

Ohio

Washington

Minnesota

Illinois

Wisconsin

Penn State

Purdue

UCLA

Rutgers

Each of the past 11 games has led us here: Ohio State vs. That Team Up North.

I can’t wait for The Game!

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Thanksgiving Song" - Adam Sandler.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Brian Kelly has been informed in writing that he’s been terminated by LSU without cause... Campbell's fires executive after recording of his disparaging remarks about ingredients... Kilauea displays lava fountains for the 37th time since its eruption began last year... One accidental text and 10 years later, Wanda and Jamal are still spending Thanksgiving together.

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