Skull Session: Kyle McCord is QB1 – For Now, Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen Talks Ohio State and Brian Hartline Ranks Seventh Among Top CFB Assistants

We are Miyan Williams days away from the Ohio State football season.

is coming to an endzone near you pic.twitter.com/GsKpoD8YiO

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 29, 2023

I am pumped.

Let's have a good Wednesday, shall we?

 QB1... FOR NOW. Moments after Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced Kyle McCord would start at quarterback over Devin Brown on Saturday, a close friend texted me, "I need answers. McCord over Brown?" I responded, "Yes. For now."

Kyle McCord will be QB1 on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/Y2hWw9wPUM

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 29, 2023

While McCord is QB1 against Indiana, the competition lives on in Columbus. That fact was proven when Day said Brown would receive "meaningful reps" in the Buckeyes' 2023 season opener with the Hoosiers.

"We have two guys that we feel confident playing in the game," Day said. "This is uncharted territory for me, but you have to go on what you see every day in practice. Kyle's consistency the last couple of weeks allowed him to be the starter."

McCord's performances more than allowed him to be Ohio State's starter – Day said McCord "deserves to be" Ohio State's starter. Yet, he also said Brown "deserves to play" in the conference matchup because of his offseason performances.

Day explained that the quarterback battle was back-and-forth in fall camp, with McCord as the leader after some practices and Brown as the leader after others. In the last 10-14 days, McCord took control of the competition and received the nod. However, McCord must produce his best efforts in the season's early weeks to hold Brown at bay.

"You have to watch them play in the game. It's one thing in practice. You see certain things," Day said. "But to get tackled and move the team down the field, finish off drives, do well on third down, do well in the red zone. That will continue to play itself out during the season, and teams have done this before."

Ultimately, Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, win a Big Ten championship and win a national title this season. Day believes those accomplishments will only be possible if the Buckeyes' quarterback "makes routine plays routinely" and takes care of the football. For that reason, Day will keep an open mind in the battle as Ohio State faces Indiana, Youngstown State and Western Kentucky.

"I don't have a crystal ball on this, and I'm not sure how it's gonna shake out," Day said. "What we are doing is fair based on what we've seen this preseason."

Notre Dame is a different story.

While Day did not comment on Ohio State's future matchup with the Irish, mainly because he is focused on Week 1, here is the truth: McCord did not win the quarterback competition because he was named the starter against Indiana; he will win it if he is named the starter against Notre Dame.

Ohio State can mess around with a two-quarterback system against the Hoosiers, Penguins and Hilltoppers. It cannot do so against the Irish, who demolished the United States Naval Academy in Week 0 and will threaten the Buckeyes on Sept. 23.

So, yes, Kyle McCord is QB1... for now.

Whoever is QB1 in South Bend, Indiana, in Week 4 will be Ohio State's QB1 for the entire season – one which will end with the Buckeyes' three main goals accomplished.

 BUCKS BY A BILLION. I do not believe I have minced words when I discussed Indiana in the offseason and this week: The Hoosiers are headed nowhere in 2023 and will finish dead last in the Big Ten East.

Still, I admire how Tom Allen has talked up his team before the Hoosiers host the Buckeyes in Bloomington this weekend. The Indiana head coach met with the media on Monday, where he answered several questions about how the program will look to stop Ohio State in the season opener. I've collected a couple of those questions and Allen's subsequent answers below:

Q: What are your expectations for a new-look secondary against this group of Ohio State receivers?

A: “We have to play extremely well within our system. We have to do what we do well, and they’re going to have some catches and get some yards. You’ve got to be able to do a great job of preventing the explosive plays. I think we all know that. But saying that and doing that is not as simple as it might sound. ... You have to play your system, and we’ve got to do a great job of – like we always do within our scheme – of disguising things. If they know what you’re in, it’s not usually good for the defense. They’ve got such talented players. They’re going to have a new quarterback, whoever it might be, and I’m sure we’re expecting to see them both. But it’s preparation. It’s confidence. They make a play, we’ve got to flush it and play the next play. We make a play ourselves, we’ve got to flush it and play the next play.

"Some of [our players] have played football quite a bit. They may be new to us, but not new to the game and not new to college football. But we do have some young guys who are going to play more than they have played in the past in the secondary. Yeah, they’ll be tested without question. We respect them without question, but we’ve got to play our game. We’ve got to play to our standard, and we’ve got to play really good football on defense."

Q: What do you take away from the success Ryan Day has had at Ohio State?

A: “It amazes me sometimes when you hear people’s comments and whatever, and all he does is win a lot. You go through, and you study what they’ve done offensively, it’s impressive. And the way they continue to recruit. He was obviously given a great situation without question, but that’s hard to take it and elevate it. ... They were one makeable field goal away from playing for a national championship. I have a ton of respect for him. He’s done a helluva job there. I think he’s a first-class person. I think he cares about his players. I think he does it the right way. I just think he’s special, I really do. So, yeah, a lot of respect from my end for him and the way he does.

“Being a defensive guy and he’s an offensive guy, and he calls their plays, so I just think that he’s sharp and really maximizes. Obviously they have great players, and that’s part of it, too, but he also has a system in place that puts you in a lot of conflicts defensively. … The expectation for them is to win a national championship. Until you do that, you get questions. At the same time, you can see it, and they just keep continuing to get better and better. They may have their best team that he’s had since he’s been there.”

Tom Allen seems a good man. It's too bad Ohio State will boat race his team on Saturday. But, really, that's not bad at all. Run it up, Buckeyes. Leave no doubt.

 HM. WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING. Who is the best assistant coach in college football? Bruce Feldman believes it's Clemson OC Garrett Riley. The second-best? LSU DC Matt House. Third? Wisconsin OC Phil Longo. Fourth, fifth and sixth? Michigan OC Sherrone Moore, Florida State OC Alex Atkins and Washington OC Ryan Grubb.

But what about Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline?

Well, dear reader, the top recruiter in the nation and one of the best developers of talent at the collegiate level checked in seventh on Feldman's list of the top 30 assistant coaches to watch in college football. From The Athletic:

7. Brian Hartline, Ohio State OC

The former Buckeyes star got promoted to offensive coordinator and will call a lot of the plays this fall. Hartline has done a remarkable job stocking and developing elite wideouts in Columbus. The latest superstar is Marvin Harrison Jr., but Emeka Egbuka is also really special. The freshman crop led by Carnell Tate might end up every bit as good too. The 36-year-old Canton, Ohio, native could be an intriguing option if the West Virginia head coaching job comes open.

After Nicole Auerbach and Chris Vannini ranked him third in their top 40 coaches under 40 before last season, I do not know how Hartline, provided his stellar résumé, fell off after a year in which he helped Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka develop into superstars, signed one five-star (Brandon Inniss) and three four-stars (Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers and Bryson Rodgers) and earned commitments from top recruits Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham (plus Jeremiah McClellan).

I am sure Riley, House, Longo, Moore, Atkins and Grubbs are all excellent assistant coaches, save for Moore, the Michigan Man. Still, I'll take Hartline as the best of them seven days a week and twice on Saturdays.

 GOOD TEAMS WIN, GREAT TEAMS COVER. In the Ryan Day Era, Ohio State teams haven't been perfect at covering the spread against their opponents, according to Covers.com.

Since Ohio State’s 77-31 win over Oregon State in the 2018 season opener, a victory in which the Buckeyes covered a 40-point spread, Day’s teams have covered in 28 of 51 contests. After Ohio State covered 11 of its 17 matchups in 2018 and 2019, the Buckeyes have been even on the spread, collecting a 4-4 mark in 2020 and a 6-6-1 mark in 2021 and 2022.

Now, I know the bottom line is for the Buckeyes to win football games – spreads be damned. But I once heard someone say, "Good teams win. Great teams cover." If Ohio State wants to be great in 2023, it will need to cover these spreads:

Saturday's season opener will offer us our first look at whether Ohio State will be good or great in 2023. When all is said and done in Bloomington, I think the Buckeyes will be off to a great start.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica.

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