Skull Session: Big Ten Coaches Talk Ohio State vs. Alabama, Kristina Johnson Shows Her Support to the Football Team, and Mookie Cooper Explains His Transfer

Don't mind me, just counting the days until Ryan Day stuffs Nick Saban in a dumpster.

Word of the Day: Philander.

HOW THE BUCKEYES STACK UP. Nobody knows the Buckeyes like their Big Ten foes, and Bruce Feldman at The Athletic got 11 coaches from Big Ten programs to dish on Ohio State's chances against Bama.

Most were extremely complimentary – as one should be about a team that just won its fourth-straight Bg Ten title – but that doesn't necessarily mean they're picking the Buckeyes to win, either.

Perhaps the most encouraging comment about Ohio State’s chances came from one of the running backs coaches who spoke of a team that seems to be peaking at the right time. “They do have good players,” he said. “The team that played against Clemson last week wasn’t the team that you saw on tape all year.

“I just don’t see them beating Alabama, but I also thought that Clemson was gonna beat them too.”

Hey, that's fine. I'm sure Virginia Tech wouldn't have picked Ohio State to beat Alabama back in 2014 either, and we saw how that worked out.

And you know, I agree. Does the Ohio State that played Penn State, Rutgers or Indiana beat Alabama? Probably not. But the Buckeye team that played Clemson – that team would roll Bama like a cheap rug. Prayers up that we see that team.

“STRICTLY BUSINESS.” The Buckeyes lost one of the *checks notes* 10 top-100 players stockpiled in their receivers room with Mookie Cooper heading back to hometown Mizzou to finish his career.

Being real, Ohio State is going to be just fine after his departure. And by all accounts, so is Mookie.

"Strictly business."

That's Teriyon "Mookie" Cooper's (@mcgetbusy1) mindset this upcoming season after transferring from Ohio State to Mizzou. He spoke about his reasoning to transfer to his hometown school. @ksdknews pic.twitter.com/wsyt2rzU53
— Ahmad Hicks (@AhmadHicksTV) January 6, 2021

I can't even fault a teen for changing his mind about a life-defining decision in a perfect world, much less one that's been dominated by a global pandemic.

Best of luck, Mookie. Go ahead and dump Georgia a few times for me, cool?

PREZ GETS IT. Kristina Johnson's been Ohio State's president for just seven months, but she continues to absolutely nail the "I care about the football team" portion of the job that her predecessor completely neglected.

Had a great visit with our Sugar Bowl champs today! It's remarkable how they battled through the challenges of this year to reach their goal of playing for the #NationalChampionship. I can't wait to join Buckeyes around the world on Jan. 11 in cheering on this very special team. pic.twitter.com/c8kBL0vXz2
— Kristina M. Johnson (@PresKMJohnson) January 6, 2021

I'm not sure Michael Drake attended a football practice in his six years as president.

I get that Ohio State is way, way bigger than its football team, but it's extremely refreshing to have a president who gets that sports matter too.

POLYNESIAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR. Third-team All-Big Ten Haskell Garrett continues to rake in postseason accolades.

Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Finalists announced today by @PolynesianFBHOF https://t.co/nK0fyh45hN pic.twitter.com/3w8tfFxFuY
— Brandon Huffman (@BrandonHuffman) January 6, 2021

First off, finding out that Zach Wilson was, in fact, Polynesian was the most shocking and surprising thing I saw on Twitter yesterday – and that includes the gentleman dressed as a bald eagle who was taking selfies in the senate chamber. I also appreciate how they included his (and only his) middle name in an attempt to say "See! He really is Polynesian!"

Second, he may just be emerging this year, but I've been on the Haskell Garrett hype train since he posted this extremely badass photo before he even enrolled at Ohio State.