Tuesday Skull Session

We're getting dangerously close to college football returning. DANGEROUSLY CLOSE.

BRAXTON WILL TRAVEL WITH THE TEAM. Braxton Miller will be a captain for the 2014 team, and he will travel with the team to (some) away games:

"He'd be one of the 70 if he can go. He won't be able to go [vs. Navy] because of his (surgery), but there will be times we have to make that decision."

I like this move. I'm sure some people will grumble, "But what if we need that body?" To which I say, "Thankfully the travel roster in college is 70." 

I feel Braxton being on the sideline could be crucial in places like East Lansing and Happy Valley. 

BUCKS FALL TO 11TH IN MEDIA POLL. NFL.com polled seven of their analysts, and it's no surprise Ohio State fell from its lofty perch post-Braxton injury. The Buckeyes clock in at 12:

The skinny: No Miller seemingly means no Big Ten title -- or even a division title. With Miller, the Buckeyes' issues along the line, and at tailback and receiver, seemed solvable. Without him, the issues become exacerbated.

I'm not worried about the wide receivers. There is too much talent for the Buckeyes to endure stretches of pedestrian play that plagued the wideouts last year. Urban said yesterday Ohio State is six deep at wide receiver, and that's going to be a problem for opposing defensive coordinators.

The offensive line is more of a concern to me. If Ohio State can get through Virginia Tech, however, the offensive line should be in solid shape by the time it's time to roll into Happy Valley. Why? Because Ed Warinner is still employed by Ohio State.

In the end, I think 12th is about right for the Buckeyes, sans-Braxton. 

And yes, this is the last poll to which I'll pay attention. If the Buckeyes handle the damn business, they'll be in the driver's seat come playoff time. Nothing else matters.

THE 1980s MUSTA BEEN WILD. (Taken from these two tweets.)

1986: Alabama (neutral site), at Washington, Colorado and Utah.
1987: West Virginia, Oregon and at LSU.  

I wasn't born in the fall of 1986, and I wasn't yet one-year-old in the fall of 1987 (SHOUTOUT TO MY #SWAGITARIUS SOLDIERS). So, I don't know if those schedules were the kind of #bangers in 1980s that it looks like they were in 2014, but this is the first time I've been envious of anything from the late 1980s.

I hope the playoff committee doesn't put a premium on being undefeated, because that means out-of-conference play will "feature" teams like Kent State and Florida A&M forever. I hope teams that go out on a limb in out-of-conference play aren't punished for games where they don't get rolled over like Michigan against Alabama in 2012. 

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD, BAGDERS. Did you see the typo in the previous sentence? Your copy-editing services are needed in Madison:

Seen on Wisconsin's campus. We didn't come here to play school pic.twitter.com/1idhonEXeo

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) August 26, 2014

I'll tell you one thing: Bert Bieliema is the coach the Wisconsin Bagders deserve.

TENNESSEE, YOU'RE CREEPY. I guess the message here is "COME TO TENNESSEE AND WALK AROUND WITH A MARRIED WOMAN." Bold move, Vols.

what the hell RT @SBNation: Tennessee tries to pitch recruit with photoshopped Beyonce cover: pic.twitter.com/EaIclWfOWn

— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) August 26, 2014

The biggest question I have — other than why Tennessee wants their recruits to get killed by Jay Z — is why in the hell would Rolling Stone ever put a midtable SEC team on its cover?

THOSE WMDs. States ranked by the beer they brew...  WIll Smith and Zach Boren among Buckeyes cut in the NFL... Traveling tips from Kirk Herbstreit...  Some NFL players boycott Madden photo session due to ratings... Damien Harris will be at VT-OSU... /salute to USC's Josh Shaw.