\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tOhio State is the best of the best.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tOhio State is No. 1.https:\/\/t.co\/mQIOsml8ho<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PSgkmEBVSB<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHave a good Wednesday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0THE COMPUTERS!\u00a0It’s Hump Day<\/a>. You know what that means. This week,\u00a0The Computers are\u00a0over their\u00a0<\/a>conflicted<\/a>\u00a0feelings<\/a> about whether Ohio State is the best team\u00a0in college football.\u00a0The Buckeyes are ranked No. 1 in both the College Football Power Index<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SP+<\/a>\u00a0ahead of Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers.\n<\/p>\n \tCollege Football Power Index<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEAM<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tRECORD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tFPI<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWIN OUT<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWIN CONF<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMAKE CFP<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWIN CFP<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t27.8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t44.6%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t49.2%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t98.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t26.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tINDIANA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t27.5<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t39%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t45.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t99%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t25.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOREGON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t23.7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t29.2%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tALABAMA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t22.6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t32.7%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t55.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t92.6%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tNOTRE DAME<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6-2<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t21.1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t64.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tN\/A<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t22.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.9%<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State’s future opponents in the College Football Power Index: Purdue (77), UCLA (68), Rutgers (64), Michigan (19)\n<\/p>\n \tSP+<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEAM<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tRECORD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tRATING<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOFFENSE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDEFENSE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSPECIAL TEAMS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t29.8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t39.4 (8)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9.6 (1)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.0 (81)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tINDIANA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t29.5<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t40.7 (1)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11.8 (2)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.5 (14)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOREGON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t27.1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t38.9 (10)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t12.1 (3)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.3 (36)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS TECH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t24.3<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t39 (9)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t14.7 (8)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.0 (80)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS A&M<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t21.8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t40.6 (2)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t18.9 (21)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.1 (61)<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State’s future opponents in the SP+: Purdue (75), UCLA (79), Rutgers (69… nice), Michigan (21)\n<\/p>\n \tMatchup Predictor<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOPPONENT<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tLOCATION<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPREDICTION<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPURDUE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11\/8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWEST LAFAYETTE, IN<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE 97.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11\/15<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCOLUMBUS, OH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE 98.4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tRUTGERS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11\/22<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCOLUMBUS, OH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE 97.2%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMICHIGAN<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11\/29<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tANN ARBOR, MI<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE 79.6%<\/p>\n \tMovements from Week 9\u00a0to Week 10<\/p>\n \t\tPurdue:\u00a097.3%\u00a0\u2192 97.1%<\/p>\n \t\tUCLA: 98.2%\u00a0\u2192\u00a0 98.4%<\/p>\n \t\tRutgers: 96.7%\u00a0\u2192 97.2%<\/p>\n \t\tMichigan: 75.7%\u00a0\u2192 79.6%<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State is college football’s\u00a0No. 1 team across the board,\u00a0but\u00a0in Bill Connelly’s latest CFP simulation<\/a>, the Buckeyes… lose to Texas Tech in the Rose Bowl?!\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tFIRST ROUND \n\t\tQUARTERFINALS \n\t\tSEMIFINALS \n\t\tFINALS \n\tHeh?!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0STOP STOP STOP.\u00a0For the third\u00a0straight week, Ohio State ranked No. 1 in stop rate \u2014 this time at 83.3%. The Buckeyes lead a new-look\u00a0top five, which features Does Brady Hoke still coach there?\u00a0San Diego State (82.9%),\u00a0Future Rose Bowl champion\u00a0Texas Tech (81.8%),\u00a0Chad Powers’ former school\u00a0Oregon (78.2%) and Build\u00a0Phil Parker a statue\u00a0Iowa (77.6%).\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe rest of the top 10 also experienced some shake-up, as Indiana\u00a0now ranks\u00a0No. 6 at 77.5% ahead of Utah (77.3%), Toledo (76.2%), Texas (75.9%) and James Madison (75.6%).\n<\/p>\n \t\tFBS STOP RATE \u2014 BEFORE WEEK 10<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEAM<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tGAMES*<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSTOP RATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPTS\/DRIVE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t84.2%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.72<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS TECH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t82.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.97<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSAN DIEGO STATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t80.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.04<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t78.8%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.16<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOREGON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t78.2%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.22<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tIOWA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t77.6%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.20<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJAMES MADISON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.32<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tINDIANA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76.6%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.01<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOKLAHOMA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.10<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTOLEDO<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76.2%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.52<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t*GAMES VS. FBS OPPONENTS<\/p>\n \n\tESPN’s Max Olson<\/a>\u00a0created stop rate to measure the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs for all 136 FBS teams.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State’s defense has been generational this season, thanks to its talent and execution. Arvell Reese<\/a> and Caleb Downs are shoo-ins to win the Butkus Award and Thorpe Award. They’ll also contend with Miami’s Reuben Bain Jr. (five tackles for loss, two sacks) and Texas Tech’s David Bailey (14 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks) for the Bednarik Award.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut Reese and Downs are just two parts of Matt Patricia’s No. 1 defense. Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald were both midseason AP All-Americans, and it’s hard to overlook the production Sonny Styles, Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. have each week. Consider that Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Eddrick Houston had career-best performances against Penn State, and that Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Jaylen McClain have seemingly improved week after week, and this Ohio State defense \u2014 man, oh man, it’s a well-oiled machine!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0“GOT HIM!”\u00a0Buckeye Huddle’s Tony Gerdeman<\/a>\u00a0did some Big J Journalism on Tuesday, collecting the context\u00a0we all wanted for the moment Ryan Day yelled “Got him!” before Carnell Tate’s 57-yard reception against Penn State.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tRyan Day said the play where he yelled “Got him!” was installed at halftime against Penn State.<\/p>\n “You got to credit Julian (Sayin), the protection was great, in putting a play on the field that we hadn’t practiced.” pic.twitter.com\/DJvYpgldNW<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t“That one in particular,\u00a0we hadn’t practiced all week. We put that in at halftime,” Day said. “I give the players a lot of credit for being able to run a play we hadn’t practiced, I mean, that play in that formation probably ever. But we felt like, based on what we were seeing, that we were gonna do it. It was a concept that we work in the preseason, we work in the spring, and we felt like there was a look that we were getting that we felt we could take advantage of. We decided to put that in at halftime and called it the second play of the second half. And when we got kind of what we wanted pre-snap, we knew what was going on.”\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhat was going on\u00a0was Julian Sayin dropping a pass right into Tate’s breadbasket.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tRyan Day said the play where he yelled “Got him!” was installed at halftime against Penn State. He praised his team’s execution in that moment.<\/p>\n “You got to credit Julian, the protection was great, in putting a play on the field that we hadn’t practiced.”pic.twitter.com\/ekSxfN1Lox<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t“Carnell ran a tremendous route, stuck them, and you could see the angle, job well done. But yeah, I mean, that is the fun part of coaching, when you kind of put something together and it goes exactly how the way you thought it would go,” Day said. “It worked out the right way, but you gotta credit Julian, protection was great, and putting a play on the field that we hadn’t practiced.”\n<\/p>\n \n\tOne of Eleven Warriors’ Instagram followers, Doug Huber, said it best:\u00a0The danger of facing a team that can implement a deep-ball play at halftime and execute it flawlessly should not be\u00a0underestimated. No,\u00a0it should not!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0THREE INSPIRATIONS.\u00a0I want to end the Skull Session with three videos about inspirational Buckeyes: Carnell Tate, Nolan Baudo and Sydney Reeves.\n<\/p>\n \n\tFirst, there’s Tate. FOX’s Tom Rinaldi featured\u00a0Tate\u00a0and some of his family members before\u00a0the latest Big Noon Kickoff, sharing how the Ohio State wide receiver honors his late mother, Ashley, each time he takes the field for the Buckeyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\t“She always wanted me to chase my dreams, I’m doing exactly that.”<\/p>\n Tom Rinaldi tells the story of @OhioStateFB<\/a> WR @carnelltate_<\/a>, and how his mom inspires him to continue doing what he loves. pic.twitter.com\/8QeWmKgxxY<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) November 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tNext, there’s Baudo. Last month, Ryan Day called Baudo “the glue” of the Ohio State football program. NBC4’s Jerod Smalley shared how a 5-foot-10, 180-pound wide receiver with zero career catches became one of the most popular players on the team.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tOHIO STATE’S “GLUE GUY”: Why is a walk-on with zero career catches among the most popular players among his teammates on the Buckeye roster? Once you meet @nolanbaudo<\/a>, you’ll get it. pic.twitter.com\/MyoSgkMhBr<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) October 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tAnd last but not least, there’s Reeves, whose journey toward becoming an Ohio State marching band ‘i’ dotter\u00a0I have featured in the Skull Session a few times thanks to the excellent\u00a0work of Smalley<\/a>,\u00a0ABC6’s Dave Holmes<\/a>\u00a0and ESPN’s Andrea Adelson<\/a>. On Saturday, ESPN featured Reeves’ journey on College GameDay.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe Reeves family of Dublin, Ohio shares a special connection with “The Best Damn Band in the Land”<\/p>\n (via @aadelsonESPN<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/HhaM13cLGQ<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tI am rooting for Tate, Baudo and Reeves!\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0DAILY DUBCAST.\u00a0Today’s Eleven Dubcast welcomes back Dan Hope to speak on last night’s release of the first College Football Playoff rankings for the 2025-26 season that recognized Ohio State as the nation’s top team above Indiana.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY.\u00a0“Stop Stop Stop” – The Hollies.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0Michigan grad\u00a0Tom Brady says his dog is a clone of family\u2019s deceased pit bull mix<\/a>…\u00a0Bill O’Brien lashes out at reporter for negative tone<\/a>…\u00a0Read what a Chinese officer wrote of D-Day in his diary salvaged in Hong Kong<\/a>…\u00a0MLB caps big year with 27.3 million\u00a0viewers for World Series Game 7<\/a>…\u00a0How did we end up with performance reviews, anyway<\/a>?\n<\/p>\n
Texas Tech over BYU in Provo
Georgia over North Texas in Athens
Oregon over Louisville in Eugene
Notre Dame over Ole Miss in Oxford\n\t<\/p>\n
Rose Bowl: Texas Tech over Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama over Georgia
Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M over Oregon
Orange Bowl: Indiana over Notre Dame\n\t<\/p>\n
Peach Bowl: Alabama over Texas Tech
Fiesta Bowl: Indiana over Texas A&M\n\t<\/p>\n
Indiana over Alabama in Miami\n\t<\/p>\n