Skull Session: Jim Harbaugh is Getting an Extension, J.T. Barrett Ranks His Best Plays, and Seth Towns Could Make His Debut

No M's are safe this week – not even in braille.

They even got the Braille M! pic.twitter.com/zrwqMFljB7
— Chris Haaker (@ntpro) December 8, 2020

Word of the Day: Ardor.

IT'S HAPPENING! Try as I might, even in my wildest fantasies, I simply could not have dreamed up a more hilarious scenario than the reality that is actually playing out in Ann Arbor right now.

You see, Michigan is one loss away from finishing the regular season with its worst record since 1962, has the worst Wolverine team I've ever seen, and is currently a 30-point underdog to Ohio State in a spread that's comparable to Ohio State's typical game against a MAC opponent.

The cherry on top – Jim Harbaugh's about to get an *extension* on his contract.

Harbaugh can now accept, negotiate, or decline. At least five NFL teams have expressed an interest in hiring him per usual though not clear if any have made firm offers yet. (2/2)
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) December 8, 2020

I cannot decide whether it's weak as hell that they aren't even trying to find someone better, or if it's incredibly brave of them to ignore all the haters and simply accept and embrace what they truly are – a slightly above average program that will occasionally be the second-best team in the conference.

Either way, it's better than I ever could have hoped.

MORE OPTIMISM? I'll be the first to admit that I had almost no confidence that The Game would actually be played this week.

So far, Ohio State is the only Big Ten team that's been able to return from pausing team activities and only miss one game, and they had everything in the world to play for. Michigan, meanwhile, has decidedly nothing to play for and, if anything, would benefit from a cancelation.

But with news that Michigan returned workouts yesterday and planned to return to full practices today, I'm starting to believe. And here they are planning a press conference today to "preview the Ohio State game."

From the inbox just now:

"University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh and players will meet with the media on Tuesday (Dec. 8) via ZOOM to preview the Ohio State game."

That's pretty encouraging!
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 8, 2020

Optimism about the game aside, this press conference is going to be a glorious half hour of Jim Harbaugh deflecting questions about his future, refusing to talk about his record against Ohio State, and trying to feign confidence about what's about to be the most lopsided loss in his coaching career.

I wouldn't miss it for the world, and I promise you will all get a full report.

BARRETT'S BEST. When you start at quarterback for almost half a decade, you rack up quite the highlight tape. But just for us, J.T. Barrett narrowed it down to his favorite four plays.

Know what would be really hard to do?

Ranking your 4 favorite plays if you're J.T. Barrett, that's what.

We asked, and he delivered.@JT_theQB4th | @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/AOfhiJPxj0
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) December 7, 2020

Personally, I think the runaway lawnmower touchdown against Minnesota from 2014 is a glaring snub. Dude unleashed what has to be the fastest 4.71-second 40-yard dash of all time, and I'll never forget that.

A PORTAL HAS OPENED. I'm sure some of you recruiting knowers will remember former five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote. The Buckeyes were interested, especially early, but he ended up at USC.

Well, he's back on the market.

#USC LB Palaie Gaoteote, a former 5-star recruit, has entered The Portal. Am hearing that the Trojans are hoping he will opt to stay at SC.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 7, 2020

I have no idea if there's any real interest here – one-sided or two – but I can tell you that Ryan Day appears to be the first coach he followed on Twitter after the news broke (I'm putting that journalism degree to great use, I know).

Side note: I'm a huge fan of referring to the NCAA transfer portal as simply The Portal like it's an obscure indie band. We need more of that.

TOWNS TIME? Hey, basketball is a sport too, and the Buckeyes play Notre Dame today! They also could be making a key addition to the lineup.

Chris Holtmann with the latest of many Seth Towns updates: "I think he's going to be kind of a game-to-game and week-to-week decision." Says a lot of it will depend on Towns' own confidence in his knee. He's regularly practiced for about a week and a half.
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) December 7, 2020

It's now been more than 1,000 days since he's played in a basketball game. His return has been a long time coming. Prayers up that it goes well – he deserves it.

SONG OF THE DAY. "Splitting Up Christmas" by Kevin Devine.