Welcome to the Skull Session.
No more sleeps.
@cfbonfox The 121st Chapter of THE GAME IS HERE #ohiostate #michigan #collegefootball Music Credits: Every living breathing moment @Grant Steller original sound - Crow number 10357
Have a good Saturday.
LEAVE NO DOUBT. I reference Remember The Titans a lot in the Skull Session, so it should come as no surprise that the movie is on my mind this week as Ohio State prepares to face That Team Up North in Ann Arbor — particularly the scene when defensive coordinator Bill Yoast locks in and decides he’s going to kick Marshall’s butt.
DEFENSE! ON ME!
…
I don’t want them to gain another yard.
YOU BLITZ ALL NIGHT!
If they cross the line of scrimmage, I’m taking every last one of you out. You make sure they remember — forever — the night they played the Titans.
LEAVE NO DOUBT!
…
RUN IT UP, HERMAN! LEAVE NO DOUBT!
I can feel the anger coursing through my veins alongside Buckeye Blood. Until 2021, I had never experienced an Ohio State loss to Michigan that I couldn’t excuse (see: 2011 Tattoogate). Now I’ve experienced four. I could excuse two of them, but I don’t want to do that right now. No, right now, I want to watch Ohio State restore order in Ann Arbor. I want to see the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines, closing the mouths and crushing the pride of every Michigan fan who has paraded around for the past four years, flaunting their illegitimate accolades on social media.
And I know Ohio State’s coaches and players want the same.
Often respectful toward Michigan, Ryan Day said what he meant and meant what he said this time around: “Fun is kicking ass. That’s what we want to do on Saturday. We’re preparing to do that. The fun part is winning. We’ll save the fun for being in the locker room and celebrating after the game.”
Jeremiah Smith, a man who has made it abundantly clear he hates Michigan as much as we do, has had a similar message since the summer.
In July, he told The Athletic, “For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them.” In August, Smith said on The Triple Option, “With everything in me, I hate them.” This week, on Downs 2 Business, “I’ve been hating them since high school. … Forget the Team Up North. … Been waiting all season to play these guys.”
Ohio State’s captains weren’t as bold as their head coach or star receiver. They echoed more of Day’s business-like approach, explaining that the Buckeyes need to stay on routine and not let emotions derail them inside the Big House.
Nevertheless, strip away the talk, strip away the noise, and Ohio State is the better team. It has more desperation, more hunger, more hatred, more passion. I want to see the Buckeyes blitz all afternoon and run up the score. I want to see them leave no doubt.
But Ryan Day has a Michigan problem!
Don’t care.
But the weather!
Don’t care.
But Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith aren’t fully healthy!
Don’t care.
Run it up. Leave no doubt.
My score prediction is 31–13, but if the Buckeyes make this look like last year’s Rose Bowl, I won’t be surprised; I’ll be elated. Ohio State’s entire year has been leading up to this moment. I expect them to capture it, not let it slip.
THE MENU. It's Rivalry Week in college football. It doesn't get better than this.
| MATCHUP | TIME (ET) | TV/STREAMING |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ohio State at 15 Michigan | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Toledo at Central Michigan | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| 5 Texas Tech at West Virginia | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| 12 Miami (FL) at 22 Pitt | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Houston at Baylor | 12:00pm | TNT/HBO Max |
| East Carolina at Florida Atlantic | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Colorado at Kansas State | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Ball State at Miami (Ohio) | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Clemson at South Carolina | 12:00pm | SECN |
| Iowa State at Oklahoma State | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Kentucky at Louisville | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| FIU at Sam Houston | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UTEP at Delaware | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UCF at 11 BYU | 1:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Georgia Southern at Marshall | 1:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia State at Old Dominion | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana Tech at Missouri State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern vs Grambling State (in New Orleans, LA) | 2:00pm | NBC/Peacock |
| WKU at Jacksonville State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Arkansas State at Appalachian State | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Middle Tennessee at New Mexico State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UAB at Tulsa | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ULM at Louisiana | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Alabama at Texas State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida A&M at MVSU | 3:00pm | SWAC TV |
| Boston College at Syracuse | 3:00pm | The CW |
| Missouri at Arkansas | 3:30pm | SECN |
| Wake Forest at Duke | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| Wisconsin at Minnesota | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| 14 Vanderbilt at 19 Tennessee | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Troy at Southern Miss | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Penn State at Rutgers | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Cincinnati at TCU | 3:30pm | FOX |
| LSU at 8 Oklahoma | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Army at UTSA | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| 6 Oregon at Washington | 3:30pm | CBS/Paramount+ |
| Kennesaw State at Liberty | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| James Madison at Coastal Carolina | 3:45pm | ESPNU |
| Florida State at Florida | 4:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Oregon State at Washington State | 6:30pm | The CW |
| Virginia Tech at 18 Virginia | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Rice at USF | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Maryland vs Michigan State (in Detroit, MI) | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| UCLA at 17 USC | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| 10 Alabama at Auburn | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| North Carolina at NC State | 7:30pm | ACCN |
| Northwestern at Illinois | 7:30pm | FOX |
| Charlotte at 24 Tulane | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| 21 SMU at California | 8:00pm | ESPN2 |
| UNLV at Nevada | 9:00pm | CBSSN |
| 9 Notre Dame at Stanford | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| Fresno State at San Jose State | 10:30pm | FS1 |
| Wyoming at Hawaii | 11:00pm | Spectrum / Scripps / MWN |
OUR PICKS. No Team Up North Skull Session in the past 10 years has included Picks for more than the Buckeyes vs. the Wolverines. I think DJ Byrnes, Kevin Harrish and I were so preoccupied with The Game that we couldn’t bear to think about others. However, this year, I owe it to Dan Hope and Andy Anders to give them another five games to catch up to me!
Andy: 20-40
Chase: 33-27
Dan: 28-32
Here are this week’s Picks.
I’ll be brief!
No. 12 Miami at No. 22 Pitt (+6.5)
Andy: Miami
Chase: Miami
Dan: Miami
No. 6 Oregon at Washington (+6.5)
Andy: Oregon
Chase: Oregon
Dan: Oregon
LSU at No. 8 Oklahoma (-10.5)
Andy: LSU
Chase: Oklahoma
Dan: Oklahoma
No. 14 Vanderbilt at No. 19 Tennessee (-2.5)
Andy: Tennessee
Chase: Vanderbilt
Dan: Vanderbilt
No. 10 Alabama at Auburn (+5.5)
Andy: Alabama
Chase: Alabama
Dan: Alabama
Each of the top-15 teams in this group must win this week. OK, maybe the Ducks aren’t in a must-win scenario, but Dan Lanning and Co. would be much better off being 11-1 than joining a cluster of 10-2 teams near the bottom of the bracket — that is, the Hurricanes, Sooners, Commodores and Crimson Tide if all four teams win this weekend.
Miami travels to Pitt after the Panthers crushed Georgia Tech 42-28 in Atlanta (the final score looks much closer than how the game played out, as Pitt led 21-0 after one quarter). Oregon must overcome a recent trend in its matchups with Washington, as the Huskies have won five of nine meetings since 2015. Vanderbilt is in a similar situation, as Tennessee has won six straight in that series.
Alabama has won six straight over Auburn, but Jordan-Hare Stadium is never a comfortable place for the Crimson Tide to play… Oh, my God! Auburn’s gonna win the football game!
Oklahoma is the lone top-15 home team in this group. The Sooners will look to fend off an LSU team that may win the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes!
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. Buckeye Productions has delivered yet another banger of a trailer.
Bury them, Buckeyes.
Leave no doubt!
SONG OF THE DAY. "A Change Is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke.
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