Welcome to the Skull Session.
It's here: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame.
Ohio State legends A.J. Hawk and James Laurinaitis narrate this week's Game Trailer ahead of the Buckeyes' top-10 matchup with Notre Dame on Saturday.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2023
pic.twitter.com/2NAgPgpkeE
Let's have a good GAMEDAY, shall we?
GET DUMPED THEN, GOLDEN DOMERS. When Ohio State and Notre Dame face off in a top-10 matchup in South Bend, Indiana, the entire college football world will watch in anticipation to see whether the Buckeyes or Irish establish their dominance and secure a marquee win in 2023.
No surprise here: I bet on the Buckeyes.
I'll admit it. Sam Hartman is an experienced and talented quarterback, Audric Estimé is the best running back in the nation after three weeks (four with Week 0) and Jaden Greathouse is a breakout freshman. The Notre Dame defense is solid from top to bottom, particularly in the back seven with cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart.
However, Ohio State is more talented man-for-man. Of the names mentioned, does one stand out more than Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, JT Tuimoloau, Mike Hall Jr., Tyleik Williams, Tommy Eichenberg, Denzel Burke – oh... I can stop now?
You understand.
In addition to Ohio State's roster of experienced, proven stars, the Buckeyes also have Kyle McCord at quarterback, whose teammates consider calm, cool and collected – unbreakable and unflappable under pressure.
"He's very calm and collected," Harrison said of McCord. "He won't let pressure get to him. He prepares harder than anybody else. He's mentally prepared. And obviously, he has the ability. He has to go out there and trust himself."
Added TreVeyon Henderson, "Kyle handles pressure well. That's what I like about Kyle. He's never folding. He's never panicking. He's always calm and relaxed, even when things aren't going our way. He's a great leader."
Ohio State will need McCord to be a great leader in Notre Dame Stadium, which will look like Christmas as the Irish's "Green Out" clashes with the Buckeyes' sea of scarlet. I think he will be. He will take what the defense gives him and allow his playmakers to – well, you know – make plays. He will keep the chains moving and have the men in scarlet and gray drive, drive on down the field for field goals and touchdowns (preferably the latter).
Meanwhile, Ohio State's defense, headlined by some of the players mentioned above plus Steele Chambers, Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock, Lathan Ransom, Sonny Styles and Josh Proctor, will have moments where Hartman and Co. pick them apart, as is natural in a top-10 matchup on the road. Still, I expect the Ohio State defense to beat the Notre Dame offense more often than not on Saturday – to get theirs more than they get got, if you will – and add more evidence to the idea that the Silver Bullets are, in fact, back.
I think that all adds up to an Ohio State win.
Cool? Cool.
Prediction: Ohio State 35 - Notre Dame 24
THE MENU. Ohio State versus Notre Dame is one of several incredible matchups in college football on Saturday. From Florida State-Clemson at noon, UCLA-Utah, Colorado-Oregon and Ole Miss-Alabama at 3:30 p.m. and Iowa-Penn State at 7:30 p.m. (and many more top-25 battles), there's a lot to love about this weekend.
Here is a complete look at the schedule:
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Oklahoma at Cincinnati | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Tulsa at NIU | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| 4 Florida State at Clemson | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| WKU at Troy | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Virginia Tech at Marshall | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Army at Syracuse | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| Auburn at Texas A&M | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| Kentucky at Vanderbilt | 12:00pm | SECN |
| Rutgers at 2 Michigan | 12:00pm | BTN |
| SMU at TCU | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Western Michigan at Toledo | 1:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Southern at Ball State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Ohio at Bowling Green | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| 20 Miami (FL) at Temple | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| BYU at Kansas | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Boston College at Louisville | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| 22 UCLA at 11 Utah | 3:30pm | FOX |
| 19 Colorado at 10 Oregon | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| 15 Ole Miss at 13 Alabama | 3:30pm | CBS |
| New Mexico at UMass | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Maryland at Michigan State | 3:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| Louisiana Tech at Nebraska | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Florida Atlantic at Illinois | 3:30pm | BTN |
| 18 Duke at UConn | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Delaware State at Miami (Ohio) | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas A&M-Commerce at Old Dominion | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas Tech at West Virginia | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Oklahoma State at Iowa State | 4:00pm | FS1 |
| Rice at USF | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| UTSA at 23 Tennessee | 4:00pm | SECN |
| Central Michigan at South Alabama | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Michigan at Jacksonville State | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Gardner-Webb at East Carolina | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Tech at Wake Forest | 6:30pm | The CW |
| Liberty at FIU | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| 14 Oregon State at 21 Washington State | 7:00pm | FOX |
| Colorado State at Middle Tennessee | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Miss at Arkansas State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Nicholls at Tulane | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Arizona at Stanford | 7:00pm | P12N |
| Sam Houston at Houston | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Nevada at Texas State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Charlotte at 25 Florida | 7:00pm | SECN+/ESPN+ |
| Arkansas at 12 LSU | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Appalachian State at Wyoming | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Buffalo at Louisiana | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Akron at Indiana | 7:30pm | BTN |
| 24 Iowa at 7 Penn State | 7:30pm | CBS/Paramount+ |
| Memphis vs. Missouri (in St. Louis, MO) | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| Minnesota at Northwestern | 7:30pm | BTN |
| Mississippi State at South Carolina | 7:30pm | SECN |
| 6 Ohio State at 9 Notre Dame | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| UAB at 1 Georgia | 7:30pm | ESPN2 |
| 3 Texas at Baylor | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| James Madison at Utah State | 8:00pm | MWN/KJZZ 14 |
| 17 North Carolina at Pitt | 8:00pm | ACCN |
| UCF at Kansas State | 8:00pm | FS1 |
| UNLV at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Kent State at Fresno State | 10:30pm | CBSSN |
| California at 8 Washington | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| 5 USC at Arizona State | 10:30pm | FOX |
| New Mexico State at Hawaii | 11:59pm | Spectrum PPV |
MY PICKS. Folks, the RED HOT start to the 2023 continued last week.
How HOT have the picks been?
After a 5-1 start to the college football season in Week 1 and Week 2, Duke covered an 18.5-point spread over Northwestern and Washington covered a 16.5-point spread over Michigan State in Week 3. Surprisingly, Coach Prime and Colorado did not cover their 23.5-point spread over Colorado State, as the battle between the Buffs and Rams went into overtime, with Colorado winning 43-35 in Boulder. With those three contests come and gone, my record has improved to 7-2 ahead of Week 4.
That said, one would be smart to tail these selections:
- No. 22 UCLA at No. 11 Utah (-4.5), 3:30 p.m. on FOX: UCLA freshman quarterback Dante Moore is off to a great start. However, unless Moore has maturity and wisdom beyond his years, the combination of a freshman's first Pac-12 road start and the conferences most hostile environment does not bode well for the Bruins. Neither does the fact that Utah's defense has allowed 270.7 yards per game. Take Kyle Whittingham and the Utes in this one.
- No. 15 Ole Miss (+6.5) at No. 13 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on CBS: I want to be bold – probably too bold – and dance on Nick Saban and Alabama's tombstone on Saturday. Lane Kiffin poked the bear when he called out Saban and the Crimson Tide's shortcomings as of late. Normally, that means Saban and Co. would drop the hammer on the Rebels. However, I don't think the Tide have it in them to do that – not right now, at least. I don't know if Ole Miss will win, but I expect the Rebels to cover here.
- No. 24 Iowa (+14.5) at No. 7 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS: The O/U for Iowa-Penn State is 40. That means Vegas expects a low-scoring affair in Happy Valley. That outcome would favor the Hawkeyes, who have been limited offensively but shined defensively this season. Meanwhile, Penn State has handled its business, but the Nittany Lions haven't been as dominant as some (me) expected. I think it will be hard for James Franklin and his team to run away with this one, so I'll pick Iowa to cover.
THIS AND THAT. Another Gameday Skull Session, another This and That™. Why? Because of the absurd amount of content that has surrounded Ohio State the past two weeks. Here is a two-minute drill on the Buckeyes' offense, Ohio State's decorated list of professional sports broadcasters and more.
First, in an episode or "Urban Analysis," former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer broke down how Ryan Day uses split flow concepts to run the ball. He also explained how that opens up the play-action pass for Kyle McCord and the Buckeyes' talented receivers.
Second, Ohio State produces tremendous athletes. It also produces tremendous broadcasters. In a press release from the Ohio State athletic department on Friday, the university named at least 35 Buckeyes who work in the broadcasting business:
- Football: Kirk Herbstreit, Jim Lachey, Joey Galloway, Robert Smith, Tyvis Powell, Jerry Rudzinski, Bobby Carpenter, A.J. Hawk, Joshua Perry, Ben Buchanan, Jay Richardson, Obie Stillwell, Justin Zwick, Chimdi Chekwa, Bill Conley, DeVier Posey, Jeff Logan
- Basketball: Clark Kellogg, Jim Jackson, Ron Stokes, George Reese, Rick Smith, Joey Lane, Kristin Watt, Caity Matter Henniger
- Baseball: Nick Swisher, John Moway, Brendon Kearney, Bob Spears, Phil Mattingly
- Volleyball: Audrey (DiPronio) Flaugh
- Hockey: Tessa Bonhomme, Paul Caponigri
- Men's Lacrosse: Greg Bice
- Golf: John Cook
Third, add another note to Ohio State's #DevelopedHere profile:
Bucks in the NFL: Week 2
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 21, 2023
#DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/b1B5HL8Bpy
Fourth, like Brady Quinn, Lou Holtz is very confident ahead of the Ohio State game:
"Tell Ohio State they better bring their lunch because it's gonna be a full day's work"
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 22, 2023
Helll yeah @CoachLouHoltz88 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/40tUXyAape
We'll see about that, Mr. Holtz.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Hells Bells" by AC/DC.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Microsoft’s revamped $69 billion deal for Activision is about to close... 911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection... Washington State, Oregon State hope to get answers in the next month about the future of the Pac-12... Max (formerly HBO Max) is getting into live sports – which is probably bad news... Michigan lighthouse launches messages in bottles offering free stays.
