Welcome to the Skull Session.
Make your pick! Make your pick!
Final is set
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 3, 2025
Voting tomorrow
#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/vIvSYxSWei
Have a good Tuesday.
“I LOVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd last week to discuss the latest developments in college football. During his appearance, Cowherd asked Sarkisian to share his opinion of the Longhorns opening their 2025 season in Columbus against defending national champions Ohio State.
“I love this opportunity,” Sarkisian said. “I think it’s great for our players in summer workouts and training camp to know who we’re getting ready to go play and the task at hand. I think now with the expanded playoffs, as long as we don’t punish teams for going to play those games, then it’s great for college football. … It’s opening weekend. It’s Texas and Ohio State. It’s a rematch of the semifinal game of last year’s playoffs. It’s great for their program, great for our program. That’s what the players we recruit – that’s the game they want to play in, they want to be in those big-time games.”
Texas has scheduled Power 4 non-conference opponents in recent and future seasons, including home-and-homes with Alabama (2022 and 2023), Michigan (2024 and 2027) and Ohio State (2025 and 2026). Ohio State has done the same, scheduling home-and-homes with Notre Dame (2022 and 2023), Texas (2025 and 2026), Alabama (2027 and 2028) and Georgia (2030 and 2031).
Sarkisian loves that Texas starts its 2025 season with an opponent of Ohio State’s caliber. However, he acknowledged a caveat to his love: that the College Football Playoff committee respects the Longhorns and Buckeyes for playing each other on top of their conference schedules in the SEC and Big Ten.
“This is a great opportunity for both programs,” Sarkisian said. “Somebody’s going to win, somebody’s going to lose. But hopefully the team that doesn’t win the game doesn’t get punished from the committee for playing that game early in the season.”
I hope for the same. There’s no good reason to penalize the loser of Ohio State vs. Texas in favor of a team that beat down on Kent State in its season opener.
However…
The loser of Ohio State vs. Texas would still need to take care of business the remainder of the season. Indiana and SMU deserved CFP spots over Alabama and Ole Miss because the Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma 24-3 (in addition to Vanderbilt and Tennessee) and the Rebels lost to Kentucky 20-17 (in addition to LSU and Florida).
In other words, the 12-team playoff provides more wiggle room for a team that loses to a quality opponent – not a get out of jail free card!
BIG TEN “NOT AS STRONG AS THE SEC”? Bruce Pearl has led No. 1-ranked Auburn to a 27-2 record and 15-1 mark in the SEC this season. The veteran head coach has been a prominent figure in college basketball for decades. He’s also been a well-known figure in the Southeastern Conference, leading the Tennessee (2005-11) and Auburn (2014-present) programs since the mid-2000s.
In an appearance on The Gary Parrish Show last week, Pearl showed his allegiance to the SEC – not for basketball, but for football. He took a shot at the Big Ten while he was at it.
“Top to bottom, Big Ten football is not as strong as the SEC,” Pearl said. “Go to Mississippi State when they’re having a bad year, and half your kids are in the hospital when you leave the game. It’s every single night. I thought our SEC football teams were exhausted. … Now, you’re at Ohio State, or you’re at Penn State – two teams that got deep into the playoffs –they only had two or three games on their entire schedule that were like about seven or eight games for Ole Miss or Alabama or Auburn, or any of the SEC teams. I think those football guys were exhausted.”
He then compared the Big Ten’s best to schools from smaller, often weaker basketball conferences.
“Memphis and Gonzaga, those two teams, are sort of putting up with their conference through January, February, and all they’re thinking about is March. They’re so excited,” Pearl said. “By the time they get to March, and they’re playing against great teams they’ve been watching on TV all year long with something to prove because nobody’s been talking about Memphis and people get sick and tired of hearing about Auburn, Alabama, Florida and all these great SEC teams. There’s something to that.”
This was one of the takes of all-time.
Ohio State won the national championship in 2024 (beating Tennessee and Texas en route to the title), while Penn State reached the semifinals and Indiana qualified for the CFP first round. Michigan… ** holds in vomit ** … won the national championship in 2023, both Ohio State and Michigan qualified for the CFP in 2022. I could continue. It’s clear the Big Ten’s upper-tier teams are as talented, if not more talented, than the upper-tier SEC teams in recent seasons.
What about the middle-tier teams?
Take this past season for example: USC beat Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl, Michigan… ** holds in vomit ** … beat Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl and Illinois beat South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl.
What are we talking about there?
One could make the argument Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt are better than Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers and Washington. But, really, is that an argument we need to make to determine the strength of both conferences?
To me, the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC in football for now. Until the SEC knocks the Big Ten off its championship throne, I will accept no Big Ten slander – not even from Pearl!
“I’D RATHER NOT SPEAK ON THAT.” Two weeks ago, former Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge went viral for his vitriolic comments toward Ohio State.
“I can express this now that I’m not with Georgia football. I hate Ohio State with everything in me. I hate them. I always have, and I always will. I hate Ohio State,” Ratledge said. “My family has always hated them, so I was kind of brought up to hate them. I just never liked them. The fans are cocky, like with The Ohio State University bulls—. Cut that out. No one cares. But Ohio State was the last team I wanted to see win (the national championship).”
Recently-graduated Georgia OL Tate Ratledge: I hate Ohio State. I always have and I always will. The fans are cocky. Ohio State was the last team I wanted to see win. pic.twitter.com/dQDRXCj3kM
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) February 19, 2025
On Saturday at the NFL Combine, Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors asked Ratledge to address those comments. Ratledge smiled, sharing that Seth McLaughlin – being his authentic, hilarious self – confronted him about the remarks before offensive linemen answered questions from the media in Indianapolis.
“Seth just messed with me about it right before I walked out here. It was kind of funny. I told him it was nothing against him, just something I grew up like,” Ratledge said.
When asked what sparked his hatred for Ohio State, Ratledge laughed.
“I’d rather not speak on that,” he said. “I’ve already had enough comments on that.”
Georgia OL Tate Ratledge, who recently said I hate Ohio State on his podcast, said Seth McLaughlin messed with him about that before his interview session on Saturday: It was kind of funny. I told him it was nothing against him, just something I grew up like.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 1, 2025
Ratledge didnt pic.twitter.com/zj09VgIhZG
It’s true. Ratledge has had enough comments on it. Still, I kind of wanted him to double down. You know, go full Conor McGregor, ‘I want to take this chance to apologize… to absolutely nobody!”
THE ALL-COMBINE TEAM. In the Monday Skull Session, I mentioned that Matt Miller of ESPN named Quinshon Judkins as one of his top performers at the NFL Combine. Nick Shook of Around The NFL did the same on Tuesday, naming the former Ohio State running back to his All-Combine Team.
If most running backs follow a certain formula when running routes, consider Judkins to be a rebellious artist. He showed some flair Saturday, separating himself from the rest of the group during drills by adding a bit of a head fake to his Texas routes -- almost as if he was baiting an imaginary defender into second-guessing his intention -- and adding a few extra brush strokes to his paths in the choice route drill. He's a natural as a pass catcher, and although he got his feet caught on the bags in one running drill, Judkins compiled an excellent set of drills that paired wonderfully with a fantastic run of testing highlighted by an 11-foot broad jump, 38.5-inch vertical and a 4.48-second 40-yard dash that checked the box on his résumé. As he proved in his collegiate days at Ole Miss and Ohio State, Judkins can be an every-down back.
Shook also named three “best team fits” for Judkins: The Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Cleveland Browns?
The Houston Texans with C.J. Stroud?
Yes… Ha Ha Ha… Yes!
The Pittsburgh Steelers?
No, God! No, God! Please no! No! No! Noooooo!
Oh, and before I end the Skull Session, let me mention that Shook included Tyleik Williams on his All-Combine Team, too:
Best team fits: Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs.
Williams' collegiate production attracted plenty of attention entering the pre-draft process, and while he didn't test in Indianapolis, he backed up the tape with a stellar on-field workout. He essentially nailed every drill, showing off the skills that made him a key part of Ohio State's defense and has him projected as a borderline first-rounder. Williams has a full toolbox that is going to make him a run-stopping force in the interior at the next level.
#free91
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