Welcome to the Skull Session.
Is it time to Scarlet the Shoe?
Ohio State teases a Scarlet Out for its Dec. 21 game against Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. https://t.co/hHN1Lkbcxx
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 10, 2024
Have a good Wednesday.
LET’S HAVE SOME FUN. An Ohio State national title run would be electric – and for more reasons than one.
Seeing the Buckeyes win a championship would be great, but how the Buckeyes win a championship could make it even greater. Since Sunday, I have operated under the assumption that, outside of Ohio State’s games, the rest of the 12-team College Football Playoff will end in chalk, meaning the Buckeyes would face Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Georgia en route to the title. Wins over those opponents would mean…
- Knocking off an SEC opponent on our turf following decades of having to beat SEC opponents on their turf in the postseason
- Knocking off Oregon, who escaped with a one-point win over Ohio State in the regular season (and upset the Buckeyes in Columbus three years ago)
- Knocking off Texas and Quinn Ewers, the former Ohio State quarterback who treated his time on campus like he was living in an Extended Stay America
- Knocking off Georgia two years after coming up short against the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff semifinals in Atlanta, the same building where the 2024 CFP final will take place
Again, seeing the Buckeyes win a national championship would be great, but if we saw the Buckeyes win a national championship after running that gauntlet? Man, it would be that much sweeter.
FEED JJ. The Associated Press named Jeremiah Smith as the Big Ten’s Newcomer of the Year this week. That should come as no surprise, considering the 6-foot-3, 215-pound pass catcher had been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Receiver of the Year last week. Smith also earned an AP first-team All-Big Ten selection along with teammates Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin and Caleb Downs. The second team featured Emeka Egbuka, JT Tuimoloau and Lathan Ransom.
In the regular season, Smith collected 57 receptions for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns, shattering Cris Carter’s Ohio State freshman records in all three categories. He will look to build upon those impressive numbers in the postseason.
It was ridiculous that Smith received two second-half targets in The Game – one that fell incomplete and another that went for 3 yards. One half earlier, he hauled in four catches for 32 yards and one touchdown while also drawing two defensive pass-interference calls. How come Ohio State didn’t look to replicate that success in the final 30 minutes? I will never understand it.
Last week, Day said it was “clear to see” Ohio State ran the ball between the tackles too much against Michigan. I hope it was also clear for him to see that the Buckeyes needed to place the ball in Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Smith’s hands more often. Given his comment when asked about Ohio State’s receiver room on Sunday, that appears to be the case.
“It starts with Emeka. He’s a captain. He’s a leader. He’s been a warrior for us. He’s productive. He’s the leader of that room,” Day said. “And then it goes to Carnell, who has had a very good season for us. … Maybe his numbers aren’t as high, but he’s a huge part of our offense and will continue to be a huge part of our offense. He’s a tremendous player and one of the best wide receivers in the country, in my opinion.”
Day may have forgotten about Smith in The Game, but he didn’t forget about Smith here!
“Jeremiah has exceeded expectations in year one,” the head coach continued. “Now, we need him to play his best. For a young player to come in with maturity and for him to handle himself the way he has, he’s been a joy to be around,” Day said. “For us to make this run, he has to continue to do what he’s doing. He doesn’t need to do anything more than what he’s doing. He doesn’t need to do anything extraordinary. He just needs to continue to do what he’s doing: take care of the football, run routes at a high level and prepare how he’s prepared all season.”
Smith needs 10 targets against Tennessee, minimum. I don’t care if Egbuka, Tate or Smith finishes as Ohio State’s most productive receiver in the first-round game, but Smith needs at least 10 chances to impact the final score. Heck, 15 chances, 20 chances – it doesn’t matter! He is the team’s best weapon on offense, and he needs the rock!
ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM. Like the AP naming Smith the Big Ten Newcomer of the Year, it should also come as no surprise that the sharps in Las Vegas favor the home team to win all four first-round matchups in the College Football Playoff.
Still, I am shocked that all four home teams are at least touchdown favorites in their matchups.
According to consensus lines from The Action Network, No. 5 Texas is the largest favorite in the opening round with an 11.5-point spread against No. 12 Clemson. The remaining three contests all hover around the touchdown spread, with No. 6 Penn State an 8.5-point favorite over No. 11 SMU, No. 7 Notre Dame a 7.5-point favorite over No. 10 Indiana and No. 8 Ohio State a 7.5-point favorite over No. 9 Tennessee.
As the No. 1 seed in the inaugural 12-team CFP, Oregon opened as the favorite to win the national championship at +360. Almost 72 hours later, Texas has matched those odds. Georgia (+480), Ohio State (+500) and Penn State (+550) follow the Ducks and Longhorns in the top five. Here are the remaining teams’ odds: Notre Dame (+850), Tennessee (+2500), SMU (+4000), Indiana (+4000), Arizona State (+6000), Clemson (+6000), Boise State (+6000).
This has zero, zip, zilch, nada to do with what I mentioned above, but I had to share it here: Someone simulated the CFP on EA Sports College Football 25, and the results were hilarious. How hilarious? Penn State beat Ohio State in the national title via a Julian Fleming go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
F it, the entire 12 team college football playoff in 2:20 @EASPORTSCollege pic.twitter.com/Ysv79A0GJW
— Matty Fresh (@MattyFreshTV) December 9, 2024
If that happens – and that’s a big if! – I’ll do whatever that Florida State fan promised to do if FSU to Boston College. (The Seminoles lost, 28-13. Was that Florida State fan a man of his word? I never followed up on it.)
“IT REALLY IS A DUMB SYSTEM.” I have dunked on Lane Kiffin a lot this fall. But the Ole Miss head coach made a great point about the college football calendar this week that I need to discuss here.
In a video call before Ole Miss faces Duke in the Gator Bowl, Kiffin called college football’s winter transfer portal window “a dumb system.” His comments came after Duke head coach Manny Diaz confirmed that the Blue Devils’ quarterback this season, Maalik Murphy, had entered the transfer portal, leaving his team with a pair of backups who will compete to start against the Rebels.
“Think about what we’re talking about or what (Diaz) had to address: a quarterback going in the portal,” Kiffin said. “Just think about what we’re talking about. The season’s not over yet, and there’s a free agency window open. … Just think if the NFL was getting ready for the AFC and NFC playoffs or the postseason, and players are in free agency already. It’s a really poor system, but we just try to manage the best we can through it, and hopefully someday it’ll get fixed.”
Yeah, it’s terrible.
When Ohio State hosts Tennessee on Dec. 21, it will be without Gabe Powers, Jayden Ballard and Kojo Antwi. (Devin Brown announced he would enter the transfer portal after the CFP.) I hate that those three Buckeyes poured so much into the program but will miss Ohio State’s run for a national title.
I don’t know how to fix the college football calendar – I just know it needs fixing.
Hopefully, the NCAA can make it happen…
I laughed at that last sentence.
If only the NCAA were that competent.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Centuries" - Fall Out Boy.
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