Gameday Skull Session: Get Dumped Then, Wisconsin

"Family Dinner: Halloween Edition" looked like a fun time. It's not often that you see Mario interact with Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate!

Family dinner Halloween edition didnt disappoint last night pic.twitter.com/Vp4rKHX4IS

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 27, 2023

Let's roll that Wisconsin Game Trailer one more time to set the mood here.

Ohio State's story is only beginning.

It continues against Wisconsin.

Season 2023, Vol. 8 starts Saturday.pic.twitter.com/6PDrbEX1qR

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 26, 2023

And let's have a good GAMEDAY, shall we?

 SORRY, NOT SORRY, LUKE. One week removed from its top-10 win over Penn State, Ohio State travels to Madison for the first time since 2016 to face the 5-2 Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium – one of the most hostile environments in the Big Ten – on Halloween weekend.

Some call it the perfect trap game scenario.

But I'm not worried.

First, Ohio State has defeated Wisconsin in nine consecutive meetings since 2011, including four wins in Columbus, three in Indianapolis (in the 2014, 2017 and 2019 Big Ten Championship Games) and two in Madison.

And second, trap games haven't been an issue for Ohio State in The Ryan Day Era™. While Ohio State's losses to Iowa in 2017 and Purdue in 2018 are examples of what can happen when the Buckeyes don't perform well on the road – and both games came around Halloween, with the Iowa loss one week after a narrow win over Penn State – Ohio State is 34-0 vs. unranked opponents since Day took over as head coach in 2019.

Ohio State looks to avoid the trap game and improve to 8-0 as it travels to Madison for the first time since 2016 to face a familiar foe in Luke Fickells Wisconsin Badgers. via https://t.co/SG815Q7mVT

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 27, 2023

For me, Ohio State-Wisconsin is not the perfect trap game. Instead, it's the perfect scenario for Ohio State to improve to 10-0 vs. Wisconsin in the last 10 meetings and 35-0 vs. unranked opponents under Day.

“We know we're going into a really difficult environment, and they're going to be gassed up for this one. We're going to have to play well,” Day said on The Ryan Day Radio Show on Thursday. “And the goal this week for us is like every week: We want to play our best football to date. I still think it's out there.”

What will Ohio State's best football look like on Saturday?

The Buckeyes need to start fast, contain Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen and –perhaps most importantly – let Marvin Harrison Jr. cook (more on him in a moment). If Ohio State can accomplish those three goals, then I will feel great about their chances. Even before I see that happen, however, I feel a big win coming for the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 14

 THE MENU. With Ohio State-Wisconsin scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC, Buckeye Nation needs games to watch beforehand. How does No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas (FOX, noon) sound? What about No. 8 Oregon at No. 13 Utah (FOX, 3:30 p.m.), No. 20 Duke at No. 18 Louisville (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.) or No. 1 Georgia at Florida (CBS, 3:30 p.m.)?

It should be a GREAT weekend of college football. Here is the complete schedule of matchups, times and networks for the Week 9 slate:

 MY PICKS. Another GAMEDAY, another round of MY PICKS.

Last week, I collected a second consecutive 1-2 record ATS.

The win? As a seven-point underdog in Los Angeles, Kyle Whittingham and the Utah Utes defeated Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans, 34-32, at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The losses? Oregon couldn't cover a 21-point spread in its matchup with Washington State, defeating the Cougars, 38-24, in Eugene, while Iowa looked like the worst ranked team in college football history in a 12-10 loss to Minnesota at home.

2023 RECORD: 13-8 

We bounce back.

Here are the three matchups and spreads I have placed Eleven Warriors Bucks (Monopoly Money):

• No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas (+10): In 2023, Kansas has been a better team at home (4-0) than on the road (1-2). Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and quarterback Jason Bean – who will make his fourth consecutive start as Jalon Daniels deals with back spasms – will have the Jayhawks ready for their battle with Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners. Kansas' underwhelming defense could allow Oklahoma to score lots of points, but its offense should be explosive enough to keep the Jayhawks within 10.
• No. 8 Oregon at No. 13 Utah (+6.5): Last week, I picked Kyle Whittingham and Utah to beat USC off vibes and vibes alone. No, that's a lie. I also picked Utah because USC has Alex Grinch as its defensive coordinator. But I digress. Oregon will have a decided advantage at quarterback on Saturday, but Bo Nix has to deal with a Utah defense that remains one of the best in the nation. Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes will have to make some plays, and I believe he will – enough to cover the touchdown spread, at least.
• No. 20 Duke at No. 18 Louisville (-4): Duke’s chances to win could take a massive hit if quarterback Riley Leonard can’t play after aggravating an ankle injury he suffered against Notre Dame in last week's matchup with Florida State. The Blue Devils’ offense ground to a screeching halt when redshirt freshman Henry Belin IV had to step in versus the Seminoles. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are home and coming off a much-needed idle week. That’s a bad, bad recipe for Mike Elko’s squad.

 BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. Ja'Marr Chase, Amari Cooper, A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Calvin Johson and Larry Fitzgerald. What do all of those players have in common? All were wide receivers. What more do they have in common? All have been comparisons for Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

In a recent article for The Ringer, NFL analyst Danny Kelly assessed each of these comps for the 6-foot-4, 205-pound pass-catcher known as Marvelous Marv, Super Marv, Route Man Marv and now, thanks to FOX announcer Gus Johnson, Maserati Marv.

Ja'Marr Chase

The most recent would probably be former LSU star Ja’Marr Chase, who was selected fifth in the 2021 draft by the Bengals. Chase was a little bit of a project as a prospect because he really produced only one season of elite numbers in college before sitting out the COVID season in 2020 and then declaring for the draft. Still, his 2019 campaign was an absolute all-timer. Chase was a unanimous All-American and the Biletnikoff Award winner for the national champion Tigers that year, reeling in 84 passes while leading the country in receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20). Chase was and remains a pure power- and explosion-based receiver; he’s not an elite separator, but he’s just so strong both before and after the catch that it doesn’t really matter. I think Chase dissolved most worries about how a year off from football would affect his game when he absolutely blew up his pro day, running a 4.34-second 40-yard dash while posting elite agility (3.99-second short shuttle drill) and leaping (41-inch vertical) numbers at a robust 6 feet, 201 pounds. He’s now, obviously, one of the best receivers in the game.

Amari Cooper

It's easy to forget just how strong of a prospect Amari Cooper was. The Alabama star racked up a ridiculous 227 catches for 3,462 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter for the Tide, with his best season coming in 2014. He won the Biletnikoff Award and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting that year after catching 124 passes for 1,727 yards with 16 TDs. With good size (6-foot-1, 211 pounds), elite route-running skills, and outstanding athletic traits (4.42-second 40, 3.98 shuttle, 6.71 three-cone), Cooper was an all-around talent and went fourth to the Raiders in the 2015 draft. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein actually compared Cooper at the time to none other than Marvin Harrison Sr. Cooper hasn’t reached superstar status in the NFL, but he’s a four-time Pro Bowler with more than 8,000 receiving yards on his résumé.

A.J. Green

A.J. Green was a phenomenal prospect who played three seasons at Georgia (2008 to 2010) and totaled 166 catches for 2,619 yards and 23 touchdowns in 32 games. His best year was his 57-catch, 848-yard, nine-touchdown line as a junior—and combining that with a strong combine performance (he ran a 4.48-second 40 with a 6.91 three-cone, 4.21 short shuttle, and 34.5-inch vert at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds), he was selected by the Bengals with the fourth pick in the 2011 draft. Green went to seven Pro Bowls and racked up more than 10,000 receiving yards in his 11 pro seasons.

Julio Jones

Julio Jones was a legendary prospect. A five-star recruit who ranked as the No. 1 receiver in the country out of high school, he was unrivaled in pure explosive athleticism. Jones was a three-year starter at Alabama and tallied 179 catches for 2,653 yards and 15 touchdowns in college, posting 78 catches for 1,133 yards and seven scores in his final season (2010). He wowed NFL evaluators by running a 4.42-second 40 at the combine while posting elite agility (6.66 three-cone, 4.25 short shuttle) and leaping numbers (38.5-inch vert, 11-foot-3-inch broad jump), all despite testing with a broken bone in his foot. The Falcons were especially enamored and traded five picks to the Browns to move up to no. 6 in the 2011 draft to take him (giving up their 27th, 59th, and 124th picks from the 2011 draft, plus their first- and fourth-round picks from the 2012 draft). Jones more than lived up to his draft billing, with more than 13,000 receiving yards and counting in his career (he’s currently 16th on the all-time list).

Calvin Johnson and Larry Legend

We can’t make this list, of course, without highlighting both Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. Johnson racked up 178 catches for 2,927 yards and 28 touchdowns over three seasons at Georgia Tech, winning the Biletnikoff Award as a junior after grabbing 76 catches for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns. To this day, Johnson remains one of the most impressive athletes to ever play the sport and has achieved almost mythical combine status thanks to his 4.35-second 40-yard dash time, which he achieved at 6-foot-5 and 239 pounds. Johnson was the second pick in 2007, and, well, the rest is history. He’s 38, and he’s already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Fitzgerald, meanwhile, was ludicrously dominant for Pitt—he posted 92 catches for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore—and successfully petitioned the NFL to enter the draft after just two seasons with the Panthers (he had left high school early to enter Valley Forge Military Academy, which satisfied the third year of post–high school eligibility). Fitzgerald was selected third by the Cardinals in the 2004 draft and would go on to become one of the most prolific pass catchers of all time. An 11-time Pro Bowler, he ranks second on the NFL’s career receiving yards list, with 17,492, trailing only Jerry Rice.

After Kelly listed the accomplishments of each player and compared Harrison to them, he reached a conclusion that I loved. While we love to make college football prospects out to be "The next _____," that doesn't always work out. In Kelly's estimation, Harrison is "one-of-one."

What’s cool about Harrison is that there’s not one really strong one-to-one comp among all the vaunted prospects listed above. He brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and skills to the table, blending raw power with finishing finesse. And apart from his name, he’s also completely different from his diminutive Hall of Fame dad—at least right up to the part when he’s catching the football. The bottom line is, of course, that he does that very well. And I can’t wait to see Harrison play on Sundays.

I can't wait to see Harrison play on Sundays, either. But first, I am gonna soak up all the Saturdays we have left with him in an Ohio State uniform. He is one of the best college football players I have seen in a long, long time, and I am thankful he represents the Buckeyes in such a tremendous way – a marvelous way, if you will.

 SONG OF THE DAY. When Ohio State enters the fourth quarter with a 28-7 lead over Wisconsin, I want to see nothing more than Ryan Day "jump around" on the sideline. That would be ICONIC.

Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day is looking forward to his first trip to Camp Randall Stadium.

I might jump around a little myself. pic.twitter.com/XAVrVYmwbV

— Dave Holmes (@DaveHolmesTV) October 26, 2023

The SOTD is: "Jump Around" by House of Pain.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. As the "Hollywood of the South," Atlanta has boomed, its actors and crew are now at a crossroads... Pan American Games bring together Olympic hopefuls from 41 nations... Halloween decorations get gory, and some prefer to dial it down... Halloween Caramel Apples: an easy, fun treat amid the candy... Is it a straw or a spoon? McDonald's ditching McFlurry "spindles"... Lakers star LeBron James gets serious air, photo goes viral.