Welcome to the Skull Session.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl creative team deserves a medal for this:
Now I am become Trophy, toaster of pastries. #Poppenheimer #PopTartsBowl pic.twitter.com/oq4pbQfqGN
— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 16, 2024
Have a good Tuesday.
A SEA OF ORANGE? Tennessee coach Josh Heupel isn't surprised that Volunteer fans have attempted to take over Ohio Stadium this weekend.
"Not with this fan base," Heupel said Monday. "It's a nice short drive up there (from Knoxville to Columbus). Christmas is around the corner, and (a CFP ticket) would make a great Christmas present. I hope to see a bunch of our fans there."
Those rabid Tennessee fans, as Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork called them, were guaranteed 3,500 tickets for the contest. However, after Ohio State's presale code leaked online, those fans swooped up far more. How much more? Tennessee president Randy Boyd said Ohio State president Ted Carter thinks the Horseshoe could be 30 percent orange, which converts to about 30,834 tickets.
Geez ow.
"I just think about a couple of years ago at LSU. It felt like a home game," Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson said. "That's what I expect from Tennessee fans. I can't wait to get out there and see a whole bunch of orange."
That 30 percent estimate could be off-base. However, based on Bjork's comments on 97.1 The Fan last week, I'm not confident that's the case.
"Don't sell your tickets," Bjork said. "They are going to invade the Shoe. Let's make sure we don't have as much orange in there as people think."
Here's hoping...
THE CHILLY WILLY VOLS? Last week, Heupel attempted to convince the college football world that his team will be prepared for the cold weather in Columbus when the Volunteers face the Buckeyes.
"Not sure what the temperature will be up there at night," Heupel said on the College Football Playoff selection show. "I know it won't be sunny and 85 (degrees). We played in 30-degree weather a week ago."
A few hours later, Heupel said more of the same in a Zoom press conference.
"For us, a lot of our practices are in the morning. We're outside," he said. "It'll be similar temperatures to what you'll get up there. Our guys are ready to handle anything that comes at them. That's weather. It's outside distractions. It's us getting ready to be at our best 11 on 11 between the white lines, and we'll be ready to handle that and operate at a high level."
A video from Tennessee's 31-17 loss to Georgia in Athens seems to prove otherwise.
— Troy Doseck (@troy_doseck) December 15, 2024
If 55-degree weather made them really cold, how will 22-degree weather impact them at kickoff on Saturday? Chilly willy? Ohio State needs to send Tennessee back to Knoxville with a loss and – if it would be so kind (or, in another sense, trifle) – some space heaters to help them thaw on the plane.
THAT'S ONE EXPENSIVE TAILGATE. This week, Ohio State will offer fans the chance to attend an exclusive indoor tailgate experience before the Buckeyes face the Volunteers on Saturday.
The tailgate, which will occur in the Ohio State Recruit Room inside Ohio Stadium and cost $1,000 to enter – yes, $1,000, also known as a band, a grand or a fat stack – will feature appearances from Ross Bjork, Cardale Jones, Brutus, the school's cheer and dance teams and more.
LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) December 16, 2024
Don't miss an opportunity to INDOOR tailgate at the Ohio State Recruit Room this Saturday along with a chance to see the action up close during pre-game with sideline passes.
You will be joined by Ohio State AD, @RossBjorkAD and several former players. pic.twitter.com/qPcDBSAByL
The tailgate starts at 5 p.m. and will run until 8 p.m., as those who attend the event will also receive access to the sidelines and tunnel before the game. They will also receive a souvenir sideline credential and a chance to pump up the crowd with the O-H-I-O chant before kickoff. (Game tickets will be required to attend the tailgate and are not included in the package.)
To purchase tickets for the tailgate, head over to LC Events. There's no super-obvious presale code like OSUFB for these. Just a couple of clicks, and the tickets are yours!
JUST A KID FROM MANCHESTER. Of the 12 coaches in the College Football Playoff, 11 were once college football players themselves (Kenny Dillingham is the other).
This week, Doug Haller of The Athletic set out to rank those coaches and their college careers.
Here's what Haller said about the process:
"It's a unique group. Not one played a regular-season contest in the NFL. One didn't even play in college. One rushed quarterbacks on the field and worked at a local steakhouse off of it. One looked more like a plumber than a quarterback. One played for his dad until his dad got fired," Haller wrote. "The youngest is 34, the oldest is 63. One was carried off the field after his last game. One was forced to medically retire. Another has an in-depth bio on his school's website that doesn't include one word about his playing days."
And here are the results of that process:
No. 12 Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), No. 11 Spencer Danielson (Boise State), No. 10 Dan Lanning (Oregon), No. 9 Curt Cignetti (Indiana), No. 8 Rhett Lashlee (SMU), No. 7 Dabo Swinney (Clemson) and No. 6 James Franklin (Penn State)...
No. 5 - Ryan Day, Ohio State (College: New Hampshire)
The 6-foot-2 Day excelled as a dual-threat quarterback at New Hampshire, where he thrived under coordinator Chip Kelly and set nine school records. A sign of his intensity: Late in a lop-sided loss to Maine one year, Day got fed up with the Black Bears’ constant blitzing. To make his feelings known, he took a snap and fired a pass just above the head of Maine’s defensive coordinator.
“Yeah, that might have happened,” Day told The Athletic in 2020.
No. 4 - Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame (College: Ohio State)
A three-year starter at weak-side linebacker, Freeman was a key defensive piece for an Ohio State team that won four Big Ten titles and twice played in the national championship game. The Buckeyes went 51-12 with Freeman, a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and 2008 who finished his career with 264 tackles.
The Chicago Bears selected Freeman in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and Freeman later spent time with the Bills and Texans, but he never played.
No. 3 - Kirby Smart, Georgia (College: Georgia)
Like Arizona State’s Dillingham, Smart coaches his alma mater. Unlike Dillingham, Smart was a four-year letterman and an All-SEC safety. A play that reflected Smart’s ability: In the fourth quarter of a close win at Kentucky, Smart noticed Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch changing the play. Seconds later, Couch threw a short pass to the left, and there Smart was, positioned to pick it off. “He stole the signal and started moving even before we snapped the ball,” Kentucky tackle Kris Comstock told reporters.
Added Couch: “He’s a very intelligent football player, and he just made a smart play.
No. 2 - Steve Sarkisian, Texas (College: BYU)
After watching Sarkisian lead BYU over Kansas State in the 1997 Cotton Bowl, a Dallas sports columnist wrote the following: “Compared to the physical outlines of the classic quarterback, the guy looks like a plumber. … He has the short legs of a linebacker, the overall build of an undersized guard and runs slower than he looks.” But over two BYU seasons after transferring from junior college, Sarkisian proved he knew how to play the position.
As a senior, he threw for 4,027 yards, earning WAC Offensive Player of the Year and second-team All-America honors. Sarkisian then played three seasons in the CFL.
No. 1 - Josh Heupel, Tennessee (College: Oklahoma)
Heupel had a storybook career after starting his career at Weber State and Snow College, where he was recruited to Oklahoma by offensive coordinator Mike Leach under new coach Bob Stoops in 1999. In 2000, Heupel led Oklahoma to a 13-0 record and the national championship. After a 13-2 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl, teammates carried the quarterback off the field.
“He’s been a student of the game since he was 5, studying with his father, (who was also a coach,)” then-Oklahoma quarterbacks coach Chuck Long told reporters. “A lot of guys have physical talent, but what sets him apart is his intelligence and his accuracy.”
Heupel finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, losing to Florida State QB Chris Weinke by just 76 voting points and finishing ahead of Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson. A few months later, the Miami Dolphins picked him in the sixth round of the 2001 draft, but injuries kept Heupel from making the team.
Is there a video of Day tossin' a piss missile at Maine's defensive coordinator? If so, I need to see it now. That's one of the more absurd stories I've heard about the Ohio State head coach. I'd love to hear him tell it sometime.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Cold Cold Cold" - Cage the Elephant.
CUT TO THE CHASE. How old are Saturn’s rings? Study suggests they could be 4.5 billion years old like the planet... Stay sober and have a jolly holiday season with these expert tips... An advertisement for the human body... Ashton Jeanty says he "should've walked away" with Heisman over Travis Hunter.
