Thursday Skull Session

Today's Skull Session will be served as soon as I pull myself away from the hypnotic wisdom of Seahawks' running back Marshawn Lynch:

WELP. Not going to lie, I have some mixed feelings about this one:

Privileged to have one of the greatest competitors in this sport @TimTebow speak to the team tonight pic.twitter.com/skGFtM9ZCa

— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) December 18, 2014

You know how I know Urban is focused on Alabama? Because Tim Tebow didn't have to peel that hideous blue rag off his (very muscular) back the second he stepped foot inside the Woody.

OHIO STATE FAN TRIED TO SAVE UAB FOOTBALL. UAB football is dead (and the blood is on Alabama's hands). But UAB football's death it's not due to the lack of effort from Bennett Williams, a five-year-old Ohio State fan from Dublin who loves football.

From Kevin Scarbinsky of the Internet's site of record, Al.com:

When UAB President Ray Watts announced the decision to kill the school's football program, "Bennett was devastated," his dad, Brad, wrote. Bennett's parents tried to explain what had happened.

Last week, Bennett asked his dad how much money UAB needed to save its football program. His dad told him, "More than mommy and daddy will ever see." Bennett asked if the dollar he just got as an allowance would help. His dad said he might be a few million dollars short, "but he insisted," his dad said.

(I thought Dublin allowances were a lot higher these days.) Here's a copy of the letter:

Good try, good effort, Bennett.

OSU LOVES THE STUDENTS. Other programs, even successful ones like Alabama, struggle with student attendance. Not Ohio State, though. Although the Block O isn't the country's most raucous student section, it is consistent, and there's a lot to be said about that.

Either way, Ohio State football appreciates it:

 THAT MAKES YOU THINK, WARREN. People think the U was bad, but I think the U was good:

"Listen, I took a pay cut to go to the Buccaneers Dan." - Warren Sapp on playing a The U. @dpshow

— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) December 17, 2014

OH, THAT'S HATEFUL, FORDE. It's no secret the Big Ten hasn't been very good in bowl games for awhile. But, I'll be damned if I'm going to sit idly by while the Big Ten goes winless throughout the bowl campaign.

But that's exactly what Yahoo's Pat Forde is saying will happen:

Dash pick: Alabama 28, Ohio State 13. The matchup is tantalizing – Nick Saban vs. Urban Meyer, the two best coaches in the game. But it tilts heavily toward the Crimson Tide. Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones had the Emergency Performance of the Year in the Big Ten championship game – but can he back it up? Against a Nick Saban defense that has had three weeks to scheme? And Jones is working with an offensive coordinator who, while brilliant, now has a divided focus after being named head coach at Houston on Tuesday. 'Bama’s defense is brutal against the run but vulnerable to the pass – which again puts the burden on a guy who has seen meaningful action in one college game. The Tide offense is the best in the Saban Era and will pose a challenge to an Ohio State defense that hasn’t seen a quality passing attack since Nov. 8, and hasn’t seen many all season.

Conference scoreboard: SEC 8-2, Big Ten 0-9.

(Forde goes onto predict Iowa to lose to Tennessee, completing the BIG's 0-fer.)

Has Pat seen Ohio State's offense? The only way Alabama's defense holds Ohio State's offense under 21 points is if Ohio State's bus goes off a cliff while it's en route to the Sugar Bowl. ("But there are no cliffs in New Orelans!" Oh? Sounds like a problem for Alabama's defense, not me.)

And these pundits who think Alabama is going to punk an Urban Meyer underdog team have another thing coming.

 ON THE ROAD TO HYPE VIDEO OVERDOSE. If it ain't an Ohio State hype video, the only way I'm interested is if it features Les Miles:

NOTRE DAME! LSU! IT'S THE MUSIC CITY BOWL ON ESPN3!

MICHIGAN ALL-IN ON HARBAUGH. Michigan fans are getting frisky about Jim Harbaugh returning to Ann Arbor to save their raggedy ass football program. It's now being reported Michigan, after initially being rebuffed by Harbaugh, put a six-year, $48 million deal on his table.

Whatever happens, I'm fine with. Either Urban Meyer gets to turn Jim Harbaugh into his perennial whipping boy, or Michigan gets left at the alter only to be rescued by the likes of Greg Schiano or Steve Addazio.

Have fun with your chase, Blue.

THOSE WMDs. Q&A with former OSU/current Colts LB Jonathan Newsome... The Cavs might not be good, but they're good at outlet passes... That was a rather quick escalation... The 8 Most Intriguing Unsolved Crimes... Law school enrollment at lowest level since 1982... NSFW: In retrospect, I think Bo Pelini was happy to leave Nebraska.