Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State plays football today.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 14, 2023
Let's have a good GAMEDAY, shall we?
BE READY, BUCKEYES. While a road matchup with No. 9-ranked Notre Dame looms, Ryan Day remains focused on one goal – beating Western Kentucky in Week 3. That's because the Ohio State head coach knows defeating the Hilltoppers on Saturday will be no easy feat.
"We know areas that we have to improve," Day said at his press conference on Tuesday. "We need to keep building in all three phases. We have a lot of respect for what (Western Kentucky does). We watched the way they played Auburn last year. They’ll put stress on us. We have an opportunity to go out and try to play our best game of the year. That’s really what matters and then we’ll go from there."
Like Ohio State, Western Kentucky is undefeated after two weeks, securing victories over USF and Houston Christian and winning both contests by an average of 23.5 points. While those opponents are not world-beaters, the Hilltoppers proved they can take care of business against lesser teams, even without the efforts of star receiver Malachi Corley, who exited the team's Week 1 win with an undisclosed ailment and missed its Week 2 contest.
Corley is expected to return this week and headline a Western Kentucky offense that will "throw it all over the place," Day said on The Ryan Day Radio Show. In the same breath, he called Corley – a 5-foot-11, 200-pound receiver who collected 101 receptions for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns last season – an "NFL player" with the talent to cause Ohio State's secondary issues. Day offered the same description for quarterback Austin Reed, who threw for 4,746 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2022 and added 589 yards and six scores in the first two weeks of 2023.
All of that said, Western Kentucky is not some Joe Schmoe of a team that Ohio State will dismiss in the first half and send the backups in for clean-up duty in the second. With Ohio State's issues in the trenches and untested pass defense (Indiana and Youngstown State threw a combined 38 passes), the Buckeyes will be challenged against the team with a mascot that makes no sense (What is a Big Red?).
Now, don't panic. There will be no upsets in Columbus on Saturday.
However, the Buckeyes will have some stuff to work out in their final tune-up before Notre Dame. That could mean times when the defense allows an explosive play, the offense stalls at midfield and has to punt, or several other adverse outcomes occur. Still, the final score will reflect an Ohio State win over their visitors from Bowling Green, Kentucky (the lesser Bowling Green, of course), and in the end, that's all that really matters.
Prediction: Ohio State 42 - Western Kentucky 21
THE MENU. Outside of Ohio State vs. Western Kentucky, there are several matchups to watch for this weekend, headlined, of course, by the Central Connecticut Blue Devils (1-1) matchup with the Kent State Golden Flashes (0-2) at Dix Stadium.
Just kidding.
Apologies to the proud Kent State alums whom I have offended.
In all seriousness, there are some decent matchups on Saturday, including Iowa State vs. Ohio at noon on ESPNU (Go Bobcats), South Carolina vs. No. 1 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on CBS, No. 11 Tennessee vs. Florida at 7 p.m. on ESPN and Colorado State vs. No. 18 Colorado at 10 p.m. on ESPN.
Here is a complete look at the Week 3 slate in college football:
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Louisville vs Indiana (in Indianapolis, IN) | 12:00pm | BTN |
| 14 LSU at Mississippi State | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| CCSU at Kent State | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| LIU at Baylor | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| 3 Florida State at Boston College | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| 7 Penn State at Illinois | 12:00pm | FOX |
| North Dakota at Boise State | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Wake Forest at Old Dominion | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Liberty at Buffalo | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| 15 Kansas State at Missouri | 12:00pm | SECN |
| Iowa State at Ohio | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Georgia Southern at Wisconsin | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Indiana State at Ball State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Norfolk State at Temple | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMass at Eastern Michigan | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| VMI at NC State | 2:00pm | The CW |
| Weber State at 12 Utah | 2:00pm | P12N |
| Central Michigan at 9 Notre Dame | 2:30pm | Peacock |
| Minnesota at 20 North Carolina | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| San Diego State at 16 Oregon State | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| South Carolina at 1 Georgia | 3:30pm | CBS |
| 19 Oklahoma at Tulsa | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Northwestern at 21 Duke | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| Virginia Tech at Rutgers | 3:30pm | BTN |
| FIU at UConn | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| East Carolina at Appalachian State | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| 10 Alabama at USF | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Western Michigan at Iowa | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Tulane at Southern Miss | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| ULM at Texas A&M | 4:00pm | SECN |
| WKU at 6 Ohio State | 4:00pm | FOX |
| Idaho at California | 4:00pm | P12N |
| NC Central at 24 UCLA | 5:00pm | P12N |
| Northern Colorado at 23 Washington State | 5:00pm | P12N |
| 8 Washington at Michigan State | 5:00pm | Peacock |
| Georgia State at Charlotte | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Villanova at UCF | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| San Jose State at Toledo | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Alabama at Oklahoma State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| James Madison at Troy | 7:00pm | NFLN |
| Prairie View A&M at SMU | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Vanderbilt at UNLV | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Texas Southern at Rice | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| 11 Tennessee at Florida | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Tarleton State at Texas Tech | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stony Brook at Arkansas State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| NIU at Nebraska | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Samford at Auburn | 7:00pm | SECN+/ESPN+ |
| North Texas at Louisiana Tech | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Murray State at Middle Tennessee | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana at UAB | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Duquesne at Coastal Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Syracuse at Purdue | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| Pitt at West Virginia | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| BYU at Arkansas | 7:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Akron at Kentucky | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| Bowling Green at 2 Michigan | 7:30pm | BTN |
| Georgia Tech at 17 Ole Miss | 7:30pm | SECN |
| Florida Atlantic at 25 Clemson | 8:00pm | ACCN |
| New Mexico State at New Mexico | 8:00pm | MWN |
| Wyoming at 4 Texas | 8:00pm | LHN |
| Sacramento State at Stanford | 8:00pm | P12N |
| TCU at Houston | 8:00pm | FOX |
| Hawaii at 13 Oregon | 8:00pm | P12N |
| Jackson State at Texas State | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Colorado State at 18 Colorado | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| Fresno State at Arizona State | 10:30pm | FS1 |
| Kansas at Nevada | 10:30pm | CBSSN |
| UTEP at Arizona | 11:00pm | P12N |
MY PICKS. Folks, I am off to a RED HOT start to the 2023 college football season. How HOT? After Coach Prime and Colorado covered a 3-point spread versus Nebraska, Notre Dame covered a seven-point spread at NC State and Oregon covered a seven-point spread at Texas Tech, I went 3-0 in Week 2 and improved my record to 5-1 this year.
That said, you will want to tail these selections in Week 3:
- Northwestern at No. 21 Duke (-18.5): In a battle of the nerds, quarterback Riley Leonard and the Blue Devils' offense should have no issue with the Wildcats, especially within the confines of Wallace Wade Stadium, where Duke defeated then-No. 9 Clemson in Week 1 and Lafeyette in Week 2. Northwestern, meanwhile, lost to Rutgers, 24-7, and beat UTEP, 38-7, which could serve as one of two wins (Howard on Oct. 7) interim head coach David Braun and his team record before the program undergoes an extreme makeover in the offseason. Take Duke by three touchdowns.
- No. 8 Washington (-16.5) at Michigan State: It's been a long week for the Michigan State football program, and it will be a long Saturday for the Spartans, who have to face Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receivers Jalen McMillen and Rome Odunze and the incredible Huskies pass attack for three-and-a-half hours. Michigan State's defense allowed 26 pass touchdowns last season and only collected two interceptions last season, so expect Washington to air it out a lot in Spartan Stadium and cruise to a three-score victory.
- Colorado State at No. 18 Colorado (-23.5): Deion Sanders wanted Colorado-Colorado State to be "a great test" and a "battle of Colorado." Then CSU head coach Jay Norvell "messed around and made it personal" with his comments about Sanders' professionalism and the culture of the Buffaloes' program. Why Coach Norvell why? Why did you do this to yourself... to your players? Coach Prime, Shadeur Sandrers, Travis Hunter and the rest of the Buffaloes will have no mercy on the Rams on Saturday. This line could have favored Colorado by 1,000 points, and I may have still taken them, so 23.5 points sounds like free money. Take the Buffs.
THIS AND THAT. A section of miscellaneous news and notes, there is much to discuss in a Western Kentucky Skull Session edition of This and That:
First, did you know that Columbus was ranked as the fifth-best city in the world in a quality of life index from numbeo.com? That's neat!
Columbus is the place to be #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/7P1g4p47Cy
— Ohio State Men's Lacrosse (@OhioStateMLAX) September 14, 2023
Second, The Predator will return when the Washington Commanders travel west to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday. I hope he returns to form this season and becomes the college All-American and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year we knew him to be before some bumps, bruises and surgeries derailed the early years of his professional career.
DE Chase Young has been cleared and will be active for Week 2
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 15, 2023
https://t.co/T14Ob70YH7 pic.twitter.com/duocT48fRB
Third, countless tickets remain available for Ohio State's matchup with Western Kentucky. Across several websites, including SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, StubHub and TicketMaster, the cheapest seats I found were around $16. That's incredibly cheap for an Ohio State football game at the Shoe, especially in a season where the Buckeyes only have six home games, so purchase a ticket and come to the House That Harley Built! The weather will be excellent and the battle between the Buckeyes and Hilltoppers should be a lot of fun!
Time to fill the back up pic.twitter.com/StDuucySKw
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 14, 2023
SONG OF THE DAY. "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Mississippi player sues coach Lane Kiffin, school for lack of support during mental health crisis... History suggests 0-2 start is too difficult to overcome in the NFL... MLB managers at different career stages strive to be honest with players when it comes to decisions... Reddit is no longer the "weird" social media, but it's also not quite normal... Disney’s "Star Wars" droids are undefeated... Historic vacant Downtown Columbus building to get second life as apartments.
