Welcome to the Skull Session.
Five (5) more Saturdays until Ohio State football returns.
5. Saturdays. Away. pic.twitter.com/B0OnmvxunL
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 27, 2024
Have a good Monday.
WHAT. A. MOMENT. The Best Damn Band in the Land announced Thursday that legendary Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, will dot the 'i' during the Buckeyes' season opener against Akron.
Over the weekend, Ohio State released a three-minute video where the band's senior sousaphone players invited Griffin to participate in the storied tradition. The video is – without a doubt – one of the best Ohio State has released in a long, long time.
What a moment.
Around the 1:30 mark, Griffin's voice cracks and his hands shake as he realizes the tremendous honor the band has extended to him. Many people – including me –considered Griffin's invitation long overdue. However, I am not sure Griffin agreed with that sentiment. His reaction was meek and humble. As he read the band's letter, he was not the greatest Ohio State football player of all time or one of the greatest Ohio State athletes ever; he was a man born and raised in Columbus, a Buckeye for life, grateful to be recognized by the university to which he offered a life's worth of service.
I mean, what a moment.
“IT JUST MEANS SO MUCH.” In the new 12-team College Football Playoff, the five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed to make the tournament. Of those five conference champions, the four highest-ranked teams earn a first-round bye, leaving one title winner to compete with seven at-large teams in the opening round.
Understanding the significant difference between a three-game and four-game run to a CFP national championship, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he’s had conversations with conference commissioner Tony Petitti about how important winning the Big Ten Championship Game will be moving forward.
“He’s brought this up before about what that means – and should there be some conversation about what that means on that weekend?” Day said at Big Ten Media Days. “I won’t get into all the conversation that’s been had, but it’s a great question and a great point.”
With his podium near the 50-yard line at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Big Ten Championship Game through at least 2028, Day said teams in the league “know how important it is to win the conference.” He also opposed the idea that conferences should drop their championship games now that the CFP expanded.
“I think what that’s meant to college football, the tradition of college football and playing in this stadium, the electricity of that weekend and what it means to win the conference, especially having 18 teams now, it just means so much,” Day said. “To take that away would be a challenge. When you look at it practically from a wider lens of the playoff, I can see the argument on both sides. But I’d like to play for the Big Ten championship. You can’t replicate it. It’s one of those things you don’t forget.”
It should come as no surprise, but Penn State head coach James Franklin would be in favor of no Big Ten Championship Game – probably because he’d lose if he ever made it. (Reminder: Franklin has a 12-26 record against top 25 opponents since 2014). According to Franklin, with a 12-team CFP format, a team gets “penalized” for a conference championship appearance.
“In a lot of ways, you get penalized for playing in that game,” Franklin said. “But the problem is, these conferences – their TV deal has already been signed. It’s too much money, so they’re not gonna give it up. That’s also where you talk about the lack of consistency that causes challenges in college football. One conference is playing eight games and another is playing nine games, some teams not being in a conference.
“That’s one of the most important things that we can do is try to level this where everybody is playing under the same criteria. How are you supposed to rank these teams if not everybody’s got the same kind of formula? I think that’s one of the most important questions.”
Man, a quote like that from Franklin makes me thankful Day coaches The Local Team. He understands that winning a Big Ten title matters not just for the team but also for the fans. Day mentioned the “tradition of college football” and “the electricity” of a championship weekend – those exist because of the fans. A coach and team should reward those fans by winning hardware, not avoiding chances to compete for it.
“THE BEST OF THE BEST.” You know how Ryan Day has said Ohio State is not for the faint of heart like 1,000 times this offseason? That phrase rubbed off on linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, who referenced the head coach's words to Bobby Carpenter and Joshua Perry last week.
In an appearance on The Bobby Carpenter Show, Laurinaitis said "Ohio State is not for everybody" as he shared how he recruits the best linebackers in America. His comment was so detailed – and so good – that I had to share it in the Skull Session.
If you wanna have a really good college experience, just play some college ball and go about your day. No, this is not the place for you."
— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) July 25, 2024
-@JLaurinaitis55 talking about the type of guys who belong at Ohio State pic.twitter.com/FmmUxIzoiE
“If you want to have a really good college experience, just play some college ball and go about your day, no, this is not the place for you,” Laurinaitis said. “If you want to be the best of the best at what you do – like Coach Day says all the time, ‘If you come to Ohio State and play linebacker, you better be the best linebackers in the country. If you’re the Ohio State linebackers coach, you better be the best at what you’re teaching.’ That’s reality. Iron sharpens iron is not a cliché at Ohio State.
“Jeremiah Smith comes in, and he goes against Denzel (Burke), (Davison Igbinosun) and Jordan Hancock, and all of a sudden (he) starts making plays and it’s like, ‘Oh, shoot, this guy can play.’ It’s the best of the best. That’s why when you look at Marvin Harrison (Jr.’s) story, and you see the room he walked into at wide receiver, he could have gone anywhere else and played right away. But guess what? He was a better player when he took the field and started because he learned from the guys in front of him. That’s been the way Ohio State has done it for a minute.”
Laurinaitis' words are one, true, and, two, effective with recruits. In his first five months as Ohio State's full-time linebackers coach, Laurinaitis has landed five-star Riley Pettijohn, four-star Tarvos Alford and three-star Eli Lee in the 2025 class.
Tell me, is that good?
BIG MATCH IN A BIG ARENA. On Sunday, Ohio State women’s volleyball head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg announced that her team's home game against Michigan has been moved from the Covelli Center to the Schottenstein Center.
A B1G match calls for a B1G arena
— Ohio State Women's Volleyball (@OhioStateWVB) July 28, 2024
Buckeye Nation we need you to help us sellout the Schott on October 13 vs ichigan#Team55 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/0vsVVjdJdN
The Big Ten showdown between Ohio State and Michigan marks the first time ever that the Buckeyes will play in the Schottenstein Center. Before the program moved to the Covelli Center in 2019, the Buckeyes played their games at St. John Arena from 1989 to 2018.
"We are looking forward to this historic event,” Oldenburg said in an Ohio State press release. “With the popularity and growth of volleyball over the past few years paired with a fantastic rivalry, we want to sell out the Schott! It’s time, Buckeye Nation!”
In 2023, Ohio State averaged over 3,700 fans at each home game, a number that increased from 3,600 in 2022 and 3,500 in 2021. All three of those seasons occurred under Oldenberg, who has led the Buckeyes to a 76-38 record with three Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight appearance in her four years as head coach.
Tickets for the Ohio State-Michigan game at the Schottenstein Center will start as low as $6 for adults (plus fees) and $4 for youth and seniors (plus fees). Students will get in free with a BuckID. Tickets for the match will be on sale Aug. 7. The start time of the match will be determined at a later date.
SONG OF THE DAY. “It's Been a Long, Long Time” - Harry James & His Orchestra
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