Welcome to the Skull Session.
Chris Henry Jr. booooooooom!
"You made the right choice"
— Henry Legacy (@TheHenryLegacy_) December 5, 2025
Brian Hartline to Chris Henry Jr after he chose to sign with Ohio State pic.twitter.com/j9KP5cGv6v
Have a good Saturday.
HOOSIER DADDY. Talent. Depth. Fast Track™.
Those are the three reasons Ohio State handles Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Ohio State ranks No. 3 in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite with 11 five-stars, 56 four-stars and 18 three-stars. Indiana sits at No. 72, featuring zero five-stars, seven four-stars and 55 three-stars. Credit Curt Cignetti, as he’s turned a roster you literally have to click “Load More” to finish scrolling through on the talent composite page into the No. 2 team in the nation. That’s Big Ten Coach of the Year — and National Coach of the Year — work.
But talent alone isn’t the separator between Ohio State and Indiana. Talent plus depth is. If Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss need a breather, the Buckeyes can throw out Bryson Rodgers and Mylan Graham. If Bo Jackson needs a break, they can lean on CJ Donaldson, Isaiah West or James Peoples. And that’s before even mentioning Julian Sayin or a defense loaded with Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Kayden McDonald, Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and a cornerback room that calls itself BIA.
Depth matters even more when two teams step onto an indoor surface tailor-made for speed — and Ohio State has speed in abundance compared to Indiana.
Ha.
Speed.
Ohio State proved it’s the toughest team in the country when it bulldozed That Team Up North in a snow-covered Michigan Stadium. Now it’s time to prove it’s the fastest team in the country in a climate-controlled, temperature-regulated Lucas Oil Stadium.
I respect the Hoosiers — more than I ever have. Ohio State has beaten Indiana 30 straight times, yet this week, for the first time in decades, I paused before predicting another blowout. Fernando Mendoza is a legitimate Heisman candidate and the frontrunner entering the weekend. Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt are dudes on the perimeter, and Roman Hemby has real juice on the ground. The defense is just as dangerous with Stephen Daley, Aiden Fisher and D’Angelo Ponds stuffing stat sheets at all three levels.
But beyond those seven playmakers — and a handful more — Indiana does not intimidate me, nor should it intimidate Ohio State. The Hoosiers could make me apologize for being unfamiliar with their game, but I doubt it. Elite on paper, Indiana’s steamrolling (44.3 PPG) did not translate into its wins over Oregon (30 points), Iowa (20) and Penn State (27 with a last-minute touchdown). Those three opponents ranked in the top 20 in defensive efficiency, but Ohio State ranks No. 3 and excels at eliminating rhythm, killing explosive plays and forcing opponents into a slower game script.
Pop Quiz: Who remembers what Bill Connelly said was Indiana’s Fatal Flaw and could cost the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff?
A lack of explosives on offense and too many explosives allowed on defense.
Indiana can’t run the ball well enough to steal tempo against top defenses (they had 37 carries for 111 rushing yards against Oregon, 39 for 104 against Iowa and 31 for 108 against Penn State) and can’t create enough chunk plays to bypass long drives, especially against a Matt Patricia defense this intelligent and fundamentally sound.
Then comes the other side of the ball.
In the Penn State game alone, Indiana allowed a 59-yard run to Nicholas Singleton and six completions of 19 yards or more to Ethan Grunkemeyer, whom Ohio State limited to 19-of-28 passing for 145 yards (5.2 yards per completion) and one interception.
Imagine what Ohio State’s talent and depth could accomplish on a Fast Track™.
The Buckeyes have the playmakers to explode at any moment, the roster to keep everyone fresh and the speed to dictate tempo from snap one. Indiana has heart, but the gaps in explosiveness and consistency are too much to overcome against a team this stacked. I expect Ohio State to dominate early, control the game throughout and leave Lucas Oil Stadium with another statement win.
Ohio State 34, Indiana 17.
THE MENU. It's Conference Championship Weekend! Didn't Ohio State just play Texas?! Where has the time gone?!
| MATCHUP | TIME (ET) | TV/STREAMING |
|---|---|---|
| 11 BYU vs 4 Texas Tech (in Arlington, TX) | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Miami (Ohio) vs Western Michigan (in Detroit, MI) | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| 3 Georgia vs 9 Alabama (in Atlanta, GA) | 4:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| 2 Indiana vs 1 Ohio State (in Indianapolis, IN) | 8:00pm | FOX |
| Duke vs 17 Virginia (in Charlotte, NC) | 8:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
OUR PICKS. One more time.
We have one more round of Our Picks — just one more round! I believe I have the Our Picks Championship in hand, but it's still fun to pick some games, especially when there are conference titles on the line. Join Dan Hope, Andy Anders and I as we pick spreads for the Big 12, MAC, SEC and ACC championships!
Andy: 24-41
Chase: 37-28
Dan: 31-34
No. 11 BYU vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (-12.5)
Texas Tech crushed BYU in Lubbock, 29-7, last month. Oddsmakers believe the Big 12 Championship Game will be more of the same. Both teams have a lot at stake in the rematch — a first-round bye for the Red Raiders and a CFP berth for the Cougars.
Andy: BYU
Chase: Texas Tech
Dan: Texas Tech
Miami vs. Western Michigan (-1.5)
Western Michigan got off to a rough start, losing its first three games to Michigan State, North Texas, and Illinois. However, the Broncos rebounded impressively, finishing the season with an 8-1 run. Their only defeat during that stretch came against Miami, a 26-17 loss in Oxford that featured a 17-0 fourth quarter for the Redhawks. Notably, Miami had quarterback Dequan Finn for that game, who has since left the program to focus on the NFL.
Andy: Miami
Chase: Western Michigan
Dan: Miami
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 9 Alabama (+2.5)
Does Kirby Smart have an Alabama problem? At this point, yes. Earlier this week, ESPN’s J.J. Post highlighted several numbers that underscore Smart’s 1-7 record against the Crimson Tide, and they’re hard to ignore:
- Alabama averages 31.6 points per game in the matchup
- Georgia scores 8.8 fewer points per game than the Tide
- Three SEC Championship Game losses to Alabama
- A 33-game home winning streak snapped by the Tide earlier this season
Post did note one massive caveat: Smart’s lone win in the series came on the biggest stage of all — the 2021 national championship, ending Georgia’s 40-year title drought. Could Saturday be the moment Smart finally snaps a five-year skid against Alabama?
Andy: Georgia
Chase: Alabama
Dan: Georgia
Duke vs. No. 17 Virginia (-3.5)
If Virginia wins, it’s in the College Football Playoff — a remarkable feat for a program that hasn’t posted a winning season since 2019 or reached 10 wins since 1989. If Duke wins, chaos follows, prompting ESPN analysts to argue whether 8-5 Duke or James Madison deserves a playoff spot. (For what it’s worth, the answer is clearly JMU.) For everyone’s sanity, here’s hoping the Cavaliers handle business and spare us the ridiculous debates.
Andy: Virginia
Chase: Virginia
Dan: Virginia
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. I have two more points to make about Ohio State vs. Indiana that make me extremely confident in the Buckeyes. Both come courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman.
No. 1 - Julian Sayin vs. Indiana’s zone defense
Julian Sayin’s 93.5 PFF grade is the best in college football, regardless of position. His 78.9% completion rate would be an FBS record if it holds, and his 84.3% adjusted completion rate would rank second only to Bo Nix in 2023 (85.5%).
Sayin has been deadly against zone coverage this season, posting a 94.8 PFF grade. That’s significant given that Indiana leads the nation with an 89.3% zone coverage rate. To slow him down, the Hoosiers must consistently pressure Sayin and disrupt him in the pocket, a daunting task against an Ohio State offensive line that allowed zero sacks and zero pressures in The Game.
When clean, Sayin’s 94.8 grade shows just how dangerous he can be, picking apart defenses while delivering strikes to Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Max Klare, and Bo Jackson. Even when pressured, his grade only drops to 68.5 — still ninth-best in the FBS.
No. 2 - Fernando Mendoza vs. Ohio State’s man coverage
Ohio State’s defensive scheme can be hard to predict, as Matt Patricia seems to have a new look for each opponent. Whatever the Buckeyes show on Saturday, it’s safe to assume man coverage will play a major role.
Fernando Mendoza has completed just 57.1% of his passes against man coverage this season, earning a 68.5 PFF grade. While Ohio State deploys man coverage at an average rate, the Buckeyes allow an FBS-low 7.7 yards per completion when they use it. Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. play with a physicality that forces quarterbacks to throw into tight windows, and with Caleb Downs and Jaylen McClain lurking over the middle, Mendoza will think twice before trying to make his receivers haul in a contested catch.
Talent.
Depth.
Fast Track.
Julian Sayin.
BIA.
Buckeyes!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Joker And The Thief" - Wolfmother.
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