Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ohio State walk-on defensive lineman Caden Davis showed off some of the Buckeyes' new scarlet cleats in a social media post this week.
They are cleeeeeeeean.
.@itscadendavis shows off the red game day cleats for @OhioStateFB #uniswag pic.twitter.com/B5Au5t8oal
— UNISWAG (@UNISWAG) August 21, 2024
Have a good Friday.
INCH BY INCH. Artificial Intelligence scares me – except when its used to have the late Woody Hayes narrate a fan-made Ohio State football trailer.
This month, friend of the program, Buckeye Productions, released a 2024 Ohio State football trailer and used AI to create a Woody Hayes cover of Al Pacino's "Inch by Inch" speech from Any Given Sunday.
The final weekend of the offseason is here.
Next Saturday, Ohio State starts its fight back to the light.
THE LOCAL TEAM WINS IT ALL. This week, Joel Klatt revealed his College Football Playoff preseason predictions. The Fox Sports commentator selected Ohio State, Georgia, Utah and Miami (FL) as his conference champions; Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, Penn State, Ole Miss, Alabama and Michigan as his Power Four bids; and Boise State as his Group of Five bid.
And who does Klatt think wins the national championship this season?
THE World Famous Ohio State Buckeyes.
Here's what Klatt said about Ohio State in the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show:
On Ohio State as his No. 1 seed
"I had Ohio State as my No. 1-ranked team (in the preseason top 25). I'm gonna put them at No. 1 in the playoff. I think their schedule is more favorable than Georgia's schedule. I could see Georgia stubbing their toe at some point. Remember all those difficult road games (the Bulldogs) have. Even as an SEC champ, I think they could have one more loss than Ohio State. They would be No. 2 in the country, and then No. 3 I have Utah and No. 4 I have Miami. Those are my top four seeds."
On Ohio State vs. Penn State in the Rose Bowl
"Rose Bowl. Ohio State and Penn State. An all-Big Ten Rose Bowl. Ohio State and Penn State. Ohio State beats Penn State for the second time. They go on to the College Football Playoff semfinal."
On Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl
"The No. 1 seed would get the choice of where to play. (Ohio State) would decide between the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State would sit and there and be like, 'OK, well that's interesting. Where do we want to play?' Then, somebody smart would say, 'Timeout. Why don't we put Georgia in a more precarious situation?' Then, another smart person would be like, 'Great idea. Does it really matter whether we play Notre Dame in Dallas or Miami?' The answer is no. It doesn't matter at all for Ohio State. Does it matter if Georgia plays in Dallas or Miami against Texas? The answer is yes.
"So in my model, Ohio State makes its pick based on the other matchup. They say, 'Hey, Georgia, go to Dallas and face Texas in the Cotton Bowl.' Then, the Orange Bowl is Ohio State and Notre Dame. In the Orange Bowl, I have Ohio State winning that and it goes on to play in the national championship. Because of (the Buckeyes') decision — because of what the crowd would be in Jerry's World, in AT&T Stadium, a few miles north of Austin — I've got Texas beating Georgia because of the location. Also because it would be their third matchup. I'll give (Steve Sarkisian) the benefit of the doubt in the third matchup that Sark would bring something that's unworldy as far as a gameplan. ... I think that game would be epic. ... And then Quinn Ewers gets to play Ohio State in the national championship game."
On Ohio State vs. Texas in the CFP Final
"Down in Atlanta, Ohio State plays Texas, and because Texas let it all hang out, I don't think (the Longhorns) have enough. My national champion is going to be Ohio State. I had (the Buckeyes) as my No. 1 team in the preseason. I have them as my No. 1 seed in the playoff. I think the Buckeyes will go on and win the national championship."
Ohio State wins a national championship and it gets comeuppance for the Quinn Ewers debacle? How sweet would that be?
FOUR FIRST-ROUND BUCKEYES. If Ohio State wins the national championship this season, it will be due, of course, to how well Will Howard and the offensive line perform from August to January. However, we cannot discount how important it will be for the Buckeyes' stars to perform like... well... stars.
Four of those stars are cornerback Denzel Burke, defensive end JT Tuimoloau, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and offensive lineman Donovan Jackson. In a preseason mock draft for ESPN, Field Yates had each of those Buckeyes coming off the board in the first 26 picks of 2025.
No. 15 - Jacksonville Jaguars, Denzel Burke
The Jaguars were commonly linked to cornerbacks in this year's first round, and they eventually took one in the third round with Jarrian Jones. But they still need help opposite Tyson Campbell. Burke has excellent suddenness and the ability to drive back toward the football as a playmaking corner (24 pass breakups in three seasons). With his great speed, he can hold up on the perimeter on downfield throws.
No. 17 - Chicago Bears, JT Tuimoloau
The 2024 draft board fell in a way that had the Bears opting for offense over defense at No. 9, pairing receiver Rome Odunze with quarterback Caleb Williams. It made sense, but now Chicago has to think about the edge and find a running mate for Montez Sweat. That's why I have the Bears adding the relentless Tuimoloau. He is a hair-on-fire pass rusher who can really bend the edge to win with burst while also displaying the power to forklift offensive tackles out of the way. Tuimoloau had five sacks and 32 pressures last season.
No. 25 - Cincinnati Bengals, Emeka Egbuka
With Tee Higgins' future still uncertain in Cincinnati, Egbuka would help offset a scenario in which Higgins signs elsewhere as a free agent in 2025. Egbuka is such a slick route runner and can dominate from the slot. Most impressive to me is how many clutch plays he has made for Ohio State -- he is so reliable. A future WR trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Egbuka and the speedy Jermaine Burton is pretty, pretty good for Cincy.
No. 26 - Buffalo Bills, Donovan Jackson
I'm bullish on the Bills this season, as I believe they will still be able to thrive with that rebuilt receiver room. They will be relying heavily on Josh Allen, which is why I have my eyes on offensive line help in the draft. Jackson is a rock-solid player. He has a very good frame (6-4, 320 pounds), knock-you-back power in the run game, the short-area quickness to pass protect and a ton of experience (39 games, 26 starts). He'll be a longtime starter in the NFL.
Now, could other Buckeyes hear their names called in round one in 2025? 1000% percent yes. Defensive end Jack Sawyer, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins come to mind there. But even if those Ohio State stars don't become top 32 picks next April, the Buckeyes will need them to perform at the same level as their first-round peers – first-round peers, according to Yates, that is.
If Ohio State can unlock the best version of each of its stars in 2024, the Buckeyes will be hard to beat this season.
SAY NO TO FALL WEDDINGS. Especially if that wedding is on Oct. 12.
In 2024, Week 8 could be the best week of the entire college football season. On Oct. 12, there's an incredible collection of ranked showdowns on the schedule: No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU, and No. 8 Penn State at No. 23 USC. There's also a handful of other desirable matchups: Florida at No. 15 Tennesee, No. 18 Kansas at Colorado, Syracuse at No. 24 NC State and Washington at No. 25 Iowa.
This Saturday – this is what a college football fan lives for. Nothing could stop a college football fan from consuming all of those games from the comfort of their couch... except a fall wedding.
According to The Knot, Oct. 12 is the No. 5 most popular wedding date this year behind Sept. 21, Sept. 14, June 22 and May 18.
If you weren't invited to a wedding on Oct. 12, consider yourself lucky.
If you were, Godspeed.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Walk This Way" - Aerosmith.
CUT TO THE CHASE. A German warship blasted the Darth Vader theme on the Thames... College town’s police say they don’t need help with cleanup after beer spill... Sam Sam the Kittycat Man ran away. Thanks to a microchip, he was found close by 11 years later... Georgia Tech will wear a helmet incorporating a Celtic knot for Dublin game... Colorado sought NIL funding from Saudi Arabia's PIF in unpreceded move.
