Welcome to the Skull Session.
So this is really cool:
Current NFL Awards Favorites, via FanDuel
— Woody (@woodyVSworld) December 15, 2025
OPOY: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (-550)
OROY: TreVeyon Henderson (+175)
COY: Mike Vrabel (+150) pic.twitter.com/JdKbWErxet
Developed here!
Have a good Tuesday.
SEVEN BITES AT THE APPLE. This week, ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked all 64 teams in College Football Playoff history. Ohio State’s seven CFP teams make 11% of the list, beginning with the 2016 Buckeyes at No. 43 and ending with the 2024 Buckeyes at No. 9.
No. 43 - 2016 Ohio State
CFP result: Lost to Clemson 31-0
After what might have been Urban Meyer's most talented Ohio State team missed the CFP in 2015, the most offensively limited one made it the next year. The defense was strong enough to limit Deshaun Watson and Clemson to just two touchdowns in the Tigers' first 10 drives in the semifinal, but the Buckeyes' offense, which ranked 20th in offensive SP+ (terrible by their standards), got embarrassed.
No. 28 - 2022 Ohio State
CFP result: Lost to Georgia 42-41
After face-planting against Michigan for the second straight year, no team stood to gain more from a CFP bid than Ryan Day's Buckeyes. And they almost gained everything. Thanks to an incredible performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud, Ohio State held a 38-24 Peach Bowl lead on the champs heading into the fourth quarter. And even when Georgia charged back, the Buckeyes had a field goal try at the buzzer to win it. But it missed badly.
No. 22 - 2025 Ohio State
CFP matchup: Cotton Bowl quarterfinal vs. Texas A&M or Miami
The Buckeyes began the regular season with a tight win over Texas, ended it with a tight loss to Indiana and won 11 straight in between by an average score of 39-8. They might have the most talented players in the country on both offense (Jeremiah Smith) and defense (Caleb Downs), and they head into the CFP knowing that peaking now is what matters. It would be a surprise if we didn't see the Buckeyes' best in December.
No. 18 - 2020 Ohio State
CFP result: Beat Clemson 49-28; lost to Alabama 52-24
The Buckeyes played only eight games, but they won four by at least 21 points, including a 49-28 victory over Trevor Lawrence and Clemson in the semifinals. They lived up to most of their preseason hype and avenged their 2019 semifinal loss to the Tigers. They also lost the national title game by 28 points. Still, in a year of abbreviated schedules and limited two-deeps, Ohio State was a poster child of sorts, and the Buckeyes looked the part until the final act.
No. 14 - 2019 Ohio State (tied with 2019 Clemson)
CFP result: Clemson beat Ohio State 29-23, then lost to LSU 42-25
It was overshadowed by LSU's late-season brilliance, but both the Buckeyes and Tigers were unreal for most of 2019. They went a combined 26-0 in the regular season; 22 of the wins were by at least 24 points, and only one was by single digits. And in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, they played one of the most even and compelling games in recent college football memory.
Ohio State dominated the early proceedings, going up 16-0 but settling for field goals; that offered Clemson a lifeline, and the Tigers charged back. The second half featured three scores and three lead changes, and after controversy and countless plot twists, Nolan Turner's interception of Justin Fields made the difference. If they'd played 100 times, each team would have won 50.
No. 10 - 2014 Ohio State
CFP result: Beat Alabama 42-35; beat Oregon 42-20
The ultimate "peak when you most need to" team. Ranked 16th in the initial CFP rankings, Ohio State kept getting better and rising down the stretch. Needing a huge statement in the Big Ten championship game, the Buckeyes unleashed the hugest statement, beating Wisconsin 59-0 to eke out the No. 4 CFP seed. They then proceeded to beat Bama with a 28-0 run and take down Oregon with a late 21-0 run. Late arriving? Nope, just in time.
No. 9 - 2024 Ohio State
CFP result: Beat Tennessee 42-17; beat Oregon 41-21; beat Texas 28-14; beat Notre Dame 34-23 in the national championship
Apparently the trick is finishing with a loss. Guess it adds motivation. The 2022 Ohio State team lost to Michigan, then nearly beat an incredible Georgia team in the CFP. The 2024 team lost to Michigan, then ripped off a four-game run that will stand as the model moving forward: Four top-10 opponents stood in the way, and four fell by an average of 17 points. Hmm ... Ohio State finished the 2025 regular season with a loss, too. Huh …
Huh is correct.
Also, someone pointed out that three of the top four teams on this list — No. 1 2020 Alabama, No. 3 2022 Georgia and No. 4 2023 Michigan — account for 27% of Ryan Day’s career losses. Some of the other defeats aren’t bad, either: No. 13 2019 Clemson, No. 40 2021 Michigan, No. 26 2022 Michigan, No. 23 2024 Oregon and No. 16 2025 Indiana. Day’s two losses to non-CFP teams? 2021 Oregon and 2023 Missouri.
“IT MEANS A LOT.” Ohio State legend Archie Griffin appeared on the ESPN Awards Show last week and discussed what it means to him to be college football’s only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, which current players impress him and what Columbus and the state of Ohio mean to him.
On being college football’s only two-time Heisman Trophy winner
“Well, it means a lot, but I’ll be honest with you, I still think it’s gonna be broken. You know, I did it, so I know that there’s somebody else out there that’s gonna do it. But what it means to me, it really reminds me of how fortunate I’ve been to play on some great teams during my time at The Ohio State University. I played with some great coaches at The Ohio State University, but the teams that I played on, they are what really, really made me who I am and gave me the opportunity to do the things that I did during my time there. So I think of those folks because they are the ones that really made the difference. They made it happen, and I’m delighted to have had that opportunity to play with them because, again, they made it happen.”
On the current college football players he admires
“Well, I admire a lot of college football players. I certainly pay a whole lot of attention to The Ohio State University, and I really appreciate the things that our offense has done at The Ohio State University. Julian Sayin has done a terrific job there as a young quarterback. I like him. I like our running back, Bo Jackson, who’s doing an outstanding job. As a matter of fact, I can tell you that I like all those backs in the backfield that Ohio State has, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do from this point on because they still have a chance to do a great job and maybe even win another national championship. Who knows?”
On what Columbus and the state of Ohio mean to him
“Well, you have to know that I was born at The Ohio State University Hospital, so as you can imagine, that means a lot to me when I can be on that field and look on the south side of the field and see the actual hospital that I was born in. It means a whole heck of a lot to me. When I was a young kid, I can remember walking down to The Ohio State University, standing on the south side of the field, looking in — it was a time when you could look inside Ohio Stadium — and thinking, man, if I had an opportunity to play here, wouldn’t that be fantastic?”
Sorry.
Continue, Mr. Griffin.
“And it ended up being a dream come true. So it was unbelievable what that meant to me to have that chance to play at The Ohio State University, and not only me play there, but to have my brothers play with me because I played with two of my brothers during my time at Ohio State. So that was just a wonderful opportunity, not only for me, but for my family because my folks, who always followed us, had a chance to come to Ohio State University, watch their kids play, and enjoy all the things that went on in the city of Columbus, Ohio, as we played our football there.”
This.
This is how a Heisman Trophy finalist and winner acts.
Take notes, Diego Pavia.
“F ME, EH DIEGO?” I wrote one line in Monday’s Skull Session about Diego Pavia. That’s all I had the time — or the energy — for. Thankfully, Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News had both. This week, the first-time Heisman voter penned a message to Vanderbilt’s quarterback titled, “Heisman finalist Diego Pavia says ‘F the voters’ — my reply | Goodbread.” He articulated my thoughts perfectly, so I decided to share some of them below.
F me, eh Diego?
For the first time, I cast a Heisman Trophy ballot last week, and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia didn't like it.
"F all the voters," he posted to Instagram in the wake of his runner-up finish for college football's most prestigious award, and clearly, he was talking to me, because my ballot was a carbon copy of the eventual results he so despised. I'm heartbroken (not really), troubled (not at all), and disgusted (SARCASM) that a Heisman finalist would be so unsportsmanlike in finishing second. The Heisman Trust isn't my trust, its trophy isn't my trophy, and Pavia did a lot more to embarrass himself than any voter. Nor does his jackassery change my opinion that he was the second-best option for the award.
Goodbread’s ballot featured Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, Pavia at No. 2 and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3.
Heisman voter Chase Goodbread doesn’t include Julian Sayin in his top three — my reply | Brown
Kidding.
Here’s how Goodbread continued:
Of course, the impetuous Pavia wasn't just talking to me. "F all the voters," would also include the 189 who placed him first on their ballots and actually believed he should win. F you guys, too, I suppose because there weren't enough of you. But Pavia can't be bothered with such nuance.
F the very deserving winner, the Hoosiers' Mendoza, too, right Diego? He didn't have a ballot, but by insulting the voters who chose him, you insulted Mendoza, too. You don't think he had any business on that podium — nothing else can be construed from "F the voters." That hug you gave him the moment his name was announced? That was fake. Clearly, you didn't mean it.
Never mind that Mendoza led Indiana to a 13-0 season, with head-to-head wins over other Heisman threats such as Oregon QB Dante Moore, and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin in the Big Ten title game. Never mind that he threw 33 touchdown passes to helm the No. 1 seed in the entire College Football Playoff, because you were better, right? Never mind that he'll be in Pasadena preparing for a CFP quarterfinal while you're in Tampa preparing to play Iowa in front of a bunch of empty ReliaQuest Bowl seats.
Goodbread said a common retort for Pavia defenders is that the Vanderbilt quarterback was just “blowing off stream” because he’s a competitor and doesn’t like to lose. However, Goodbread wrote, the “blowing off stream” defense falls apart when one considers Pavia is 24 years old.
He ended his column with this:
Had this been the 19-year-old Johnny Manziel — a Pavia confidant, by the way — an "F all the voters" post on social media would've at least been less surprising, if no less classless. But after six years in college, you'd think Pavia would've signed up for at least one course in humility by now. The kid-blows-off-steam defense also fails to hold up when one considers the dozens of kids who didn't; decades worth of disappointed Heisman finalists who managed to leave New York City without leaving behind their dignity like Pavia did.
He's a big boy now. Old enough to have more than one college degree. Old enough to beat the NCAA in court to gain extra eligibility, and old enough to make the pile of NIL money that came with that.
Old enough to know better.
And old enough to handle some criticism.
It was a punk move, Diego. This voter wasn't sitting right next to Mendoza Saturday night, but my congrats for him are at least genuine.
A 10 out of 10 reply.
No notes.
OH, GOD, PLEASE NO! Folks, it looks like the Big Ten Championship Game could become an Amazon Prime Video exclusive soon. Here's the latest from Sports Media Watch's Jon Lewis, The Athletic's Richard Deitsch and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti:
In a podcast published Monday, Cordella confirmed to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic that the company is shopping its rights to next year’s Big Ten football championship game, but avoided specifics when asked if Amazon is the favorite. Cordella’s comments were the first on-the-record confirmation by anyone at NBC about the talks, which were reported by John Ourand of Puck last month.
Cordella characterized the talks as “one of these things that pops up every once in a while where there’s an opportunity to do something that we feel is in our best interest financially.” He stressed that NBC ‘loves’ the Big Ten, “but an opportunity came up and we’re having some discussions.”
Ourand has given all indication that Amazon is the primary — perhaps even the sole — contender to acquire the game, with Netflix said to be uninterested and no other platforms even being mentioned as a possibility. But Cordella disputed the idea that there is “anyone in the pole position or not the pole position” and said the company has to “go through the process here and see what makes sense for us, for the league, for Fox, for whoever may license this.”
I guess the good news is we all have Amazon Prime, right?
... right?
SONG OF THE DAY. "For Cryin' Out Loud!" - FINNEAS.
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