Hey, this is fun!
I thought that coming all the way back from a 20-point deficit only to lose by a contested buzzer-beater was a tough way to lose, but it turns out, this was worse.
But hey, there's an extremely simple way to make me feel better – blow the doors off Michigan on Saturday.
Word of the Day: Succor.
BEST IN THE LAND? A lot of people have a strange fear of preseason expectations. But honestly, the preseason expectations around here are always just "win a national title" anyway, so I don't really have a problem with unbiased outsiders putting that expectation on my team, too.
This is all relevant because noted football-knower Bill Connelly has Ohio State as the top-rated team in the preseason edition of his SP+ ratings, ahead of No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Michigan.
Big Ten: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 10 Wisconsin. Ohio State ranking in the top 25 in returning production is pretty unheard of -- the bluest of bluebloods tend to lose tons of production to the NFL each year -- and clinched the Buckeyes' February top spot. But Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State are all within reach if Ohio State proves mortal.
As he alluded to, returning production is a gigantic part of Connelly's preseason formula, and Ohio State returns by far the most production of any typical national title contender.
Ohio State (second in SP+, 24th in returning production). Of last year’s top seven teams, per SP+, the six not named Ohio State currently rank an average of 82nd in returning production. That the Buckeyes return a vast majority of last year’s talent might make them 2022's early national title favorites.
The most fascinating thing to me is that Connelly predicts Ohio State to have the nation's No. 11 defense, which would certainly be a delightful change of pace!
GOOD AT EVERYTHING. I usually play the hits in my Skull Sessions and talk primarily about the football and men's basketball teams, because that's really all most of you care about, with a STRONG emphasis on football (you can try to tell me this isn't true, but the numbers don't lie).
But sometimes, I have to go back to my roots and talk about some non-revenue/Olympic sports – especially when they're this good.
By my count, Ohio State currently has 16 athletic teams competing that could possibly be ranked. 15 of those teams are ranked in their various top-25 polls and eight of them are ranked in the top 10 (that's half, for my anti-math readers).
That's officially 15 ranked Buckeye squads!
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) February 9, 2022
: @OhioStateMHKY has a B1G top 10 matchup this weekend to finish out their regular season home series!
: https://t.co/He7w8aQLnY | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/6jjDA22mMp
Ohio State has had far too few national titles across the athletic program these past couple of years (outside of the trusty Synchronized Swimming team, which isn't even on this list since it doesn't have a top-25 poll). Let's change that.
GET YOUR TICKETS! If you're planning to make the pilgrimage to our concrete Mecca for Ohio State's annual touch football game against itself, tickets go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m., which I'm told is tomorrow.
The game's going to kick off at noon on April 16th. General admissions tickets are $7 – which is more than free but less than a typical Arby's meal – but parking is free.
If you want to buy tickets, you can do so at the Ohio State ticketing website at 10 a.m. tomorrow, or by simply showing up at the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office during normal business hours.
RUDE AWAKENING. It would appear that somebody forgot to warn Oklahoma State transfer safety Tanner McCalister about Mickey Marotti.
Shouldve told me what I was getting myself into brotha https://t.co/ne1FXKnzwH
— Tanner McCalister (@McCalister_Dos2) February 9, 2022
Should we tell him about the impending St. Valentine's Day Massacre workout, or just let that be a surprise?
SONG OF THE DAY. "Merry Go 'Round" by Kacey Musgraves.
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