Welcome to the Skull Session.
Can I interest anyone in an Aaron Craft Hoop Mixtape?
Aaron Craft
— That Guy Rocked (@ThatGuyRocked) February 19, 2026
That guy rocked. pic.twitter.com/e0091qxO7i
Have a good Thursday.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION. In an interview with 10TV’s Dom Tiberi this week, Ted Carter discussed whether we could see super-conferences in the future. The Ohio State president cautioned against the Buckeyes joining one, citing the potential dilution of the Ohio State brand as the primary reason.
“I’m always going to be protective of the Ohio State Buckeyes. And if we put ourselves into some sort of bigger league than what we are in already in the Big Ten, it has a chance of diluting our brand, so I’m not going to be the first one to sign up for that,” Carter said. “We’re at 18 teams now. Some people might argue that it diluted us a little bit from what we were. But yet the Big Ten now is an even more powerful brand because of it.”
According to The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton, Ohio State has the third-most valuable football program in the country at $1.55 billion, trailing only Texas ($2.2 billion) and Texas A&M ($1.59 billion). Carter said that puts the Buckeyes in a position of power, no matter what happens down the road.
“In the experiment of (super-conference) expansion, Ohio State is still at the top of that list,” Carter said. “And our brand matters. Not only are we the most recognizable brand, but the most powerful athletic Division I sports program in the country. I mean, 36 Division I sports. Nobody else is doing that except for Navy and Stanford at 35. But I love our brand. I want to protect it.”
For now, Ohio State doesn’t need a super-conference to validate its place. I tend to agree with Carter — when you’re at the top of the sport, bigger isn’t always better. The Buckeyes are already one of college athletics’ most powerful brands — financially, competitively and nationally. And if Carter has his way, that power will be preserved, not packaged. I’m good with that.
GIVE A LITTLE MORE. Thanks be to Tiberi for another section of #content. The 10TV veteran is on the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer this week and secured interviews with several Buckeyes, including Julian Sayin, Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery and Austin Siereveld.
Here’s Tiberi’s four-minute conversation with Sayin, where he and the Ohio State quarterback discussed the Buckeyes’ offseason workouts, new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and more:
I like Sayin — I really do — but someone needs to beat the media training out of him before his second season as QB1. Right now, he’s still a coachspeak generator in interviews. And I get it. That’s probably what Ryan Day prefers. But this is the same dude who plays football like he has AirPods in blasting Maroon 5. The same guy who posts YoungBoy Never Broke Again and G Herbo on Instagram. Come on, Julian. I know there’s more in there, so let us see it!
BALL OVER EVERYTHING. Ohio State is coming to NBA 2K26.
2K Sports announced Wednesday that Ohio State is one of 16 schools it will “bring to life” in the next update of 2K26. Joining the Buckeyes in the update will be Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Florida, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Purdue, Texas, UCLA, and UConn.
“2K is building the definitive basketball universe, uniting the NBA, WNBA, and soon the collegiate ranks under one banner,” 2K Sports senior VP and GM Zak Armitage said in a statement. “It’s an ambitious undertaking to authentically represent the most elite levels of the sport, and we will continue to scale it over time, beginning with our foundational college experience next year.”
Given Ohio State’s performance over the past four seasons, it might not seem like the Buckeyes belong among these 16 programs being promoted in one of America’s top video games. However, thanks to what Carter highlighted earlier — the second-most-valuable athletic department in Division I and a fan base of over 11 million — Ohio State has earned membership in some very exclusive clubs. This is one of them, and I’m not complaining.
THAT’S RIGHT, TED. I am a simple man. I see Ted Ginn Jr. #content, I post.
The former Ohio State wide receiver had a run-in with a Michigan fan during a Columbus Aviators meet-and-greet this week. Ginn let them know he beat the Wolverines three times in a row in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
You know I had to track down this play from Troy Smith and Ginn during The Game of the Century. It’s one of the most aesthetically pleasing plays in Ohio State’s rich football history:
Coach did not approve of the case pic.twitter.com/xsPvfMr0t4
— Columbus Aviators (@UFLAviators) February 18, 2026
The rivalry never sleeps!
SONG OF THE DAY. “Give A Little More” – Maroon 5.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Texas Tech's JT Toppin tore his ACL and is out for season... Seattle Seahawks begin sale process, less than 2 weeks after winning Super Bowl... Florida's IMG Academy fined $1.7 million for accepting fees linked to Mexican drug cartel... Man who lived rent-free in New Yorker Hotel, then claimed to own it, pleads guilty to fraud charge.
