Gameday Skull Session: Get Dumped Then, Indiana

No more sleeps. No more wake-ups. Ohio State football is here.

Love Conquers All.

The Brotherhood is built on Love.

2023 Vol. 1 starts on Saturday.pic.twitter.com/Q6sLriQGVV

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 31, 2023

IT! IS! TIME!... for Indiana to Get Dumped.

 BUCKS BY A BILLION. Outside of Ohio State and Indiana's 2020 matchup, in which the Buckeyes held a 35-7 lead at halftime before the Hoosiers amounted a near-comeback to secure a 42-35 final, Ohio State has defeated Indiana by at least three scores in each of its matchups since Tom Allen took over the Crimson and Cream's program.

Expect that trend to continue in 2023.

Indiana posted a 6-18 record the past two seasons. Head coach Tom Allen is on the hot seat, and if he does not deliver wins in 2023, the Hoosiers' athletic department will ask him to leave and start over somewhere else (defensive analyst at Ohio State, perhaps?).

The Hoosiers added a respectable 2023 class that features running back Jaylin Lucas and a transfer class that includes quarterback Tayven Jackson, wide receiver E.J. Williams and defensive end Andre Carter. Still, it will be hard for Allen and Indiana to secure victories this fall, especially when the Hoosiers face the top teams in the Big Ten (i.e., Ohio State).

After Indiana's recent roster additions, the Hoosiers rank 48th in 247Sports' team talent composite for 2023. Ohio State ranks third... *checks notes*... behind Alabama and back-to-back national champion Georgia.

These are the 10 most talented teams in college football. What stands out to you? https://t.co/pfKvJeIlR8 pic.twitter.com/XKSFZJOXfF

— 247Sports (@247Sports) August 30, 2023

Yes, Kyle McCord and Devin Brown's quarterback competition will continue the season opener, The offensive line needs to overcome the losses of Paris Johnson Jr., Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler. The defense has to be better in Jim Knowles' second year as defensive coordinator.

But The talent gap between Ohio State and Indiana is the size of the Grand Canyon.

Despite Ohio State's offensive and defensive uncertainties, the Buckeyes' talent will prevail in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers have some dudes, but they don't have Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, JT Tuimoloau, Mike Hall, Tommy Eichenberg, Denzel Burke, Lathan Ransom and – do I need to continue?

I hope Ohio State turns uncertainties into certainties sooner rather than later. But even if that transformation doesn't occur on Saturday, the Buckeyes will be just fine.

Prediction: Ohio State 48 - Indiana 10

 TODAY'S MENU. Oh, man. The college football menu looks excellent: Michigan hosts East Carolina at noon on Peacock – hmmm, reminds me of the last time the Wolverines faced a North Carolina team on a new network – Eddie George and (FCS) Tennesee State face Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m. and WVU travels to Penn State at 7:30 p.m.

Of course, there are many more matchups than those. Here are the contests to come on the second Saturday of college football:

 MY PICKS. In 2022, I went .500 (18-18) in college football selections ATS – a respectable number that probably would have resulted in a zero-sum transaction at one's preferred sportsbook. However, as I enter a second season as Eleven Warriors' sixth-best gambler and sixth-worst degenerate (George Eisner, Josh Poloha, Dan Hope, Andy Anders, Garrick Hodge and then me), I need to be better.

Here's to a more successful 2023.

• Boise State vs. Washington (-14.5): Boise State's offense is solid and could give Washington some problems on defense. However, the three-headed monster of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze, plus the efforts of Dillon Johnson at running back, will combine to create an offense that is too explosive and powerful for the Broncos to stop.
• North Carolina vs. South Carolina (+2.5): North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is awesome. North Carolina's defense is not. Or so I think. The Tar Heels ranked in the 100s nationally in yards allowed per play in the past two seasons. South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has been known to torch defenses from time to time. I think he will on Saturday against North Carolina to help the Cocks cover the spread.
• West Virginia vs. Penn State (-20.5): If Penn State is really one of the best teams in college football this season, the Nittany Lions should have no issues moving the ball up and down the field on the Mountaineers. Drew Allar will toss it around, and Nick Singleton will pound it on the ground behind the robust body of Olu Fashanu. Meanwhile, Kalen King, Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson will take care of business on defense.

 I'D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR. Ohio State celebrated the 100th year of Ohio Stadium last season with commemorative programs that honored the rich football history in the Horseshoe, a.k.a. the Shoe or "The House That Harley Built."

However, because of their collection appeal, the programs sold out fast on Saturdays, and not all attendees received a fair chance to purchase the commemorative booklets. In 2023, LEARFIELD Publications developed a way to combat that issue: The 2023 Ohio State Game Program VIP Package.

Did you miss out on one or more of last season’s historic game programs? Do you want to make sure that doesn’t happen again in 2023?

Become an Ohio State Game Program VIP and ensure yourself a full set of eight 2023 Ohio State football programs — including the first-time ever road game programs from the marquee games at Notre Dame and Michigan! Plus as a VIP, you will get free shipping... no more worrying about weather or someone spilling a drink. 

BENEFITS: All six Ohio State Official 2023 Football Home Game Programs (vs. Youngstown State, Western Kentucky, Maryland, Penn State, Michigan State and Minnesota); First-of-its-kind road game programs for games at Notre Dame and Michigan; Shipping of all eight programs to the address of your choice (programs will ship as soon as possible the week of each game but are unlikely to deliver before gameday — but we’ll try; Special one-time online discount code for 20% off at The Team Shop; A unique link that provides discounted ticket offers to various Ohio State sporting events. Events will be added to this link as single game tickets become available to the public; Total cost on the 2023 Ohio State Game Program VIP package is $160 — simply the cover price of the eight programs.

Here is the program cover from Ohio State's matchup with Youngstown State on Sept. 9:

As someone may have said in 1922, the year Ohio Stadium hosted its first close encounter of the athletic kind, "That's the cat's pajamas!"

Consider a purchase of Ohio State memorabilia this weekend.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Script Ohio" by The Best Damn Band in the Land.

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