\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tOhio State men’s basketball is 3-0!\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tAnother at home #GoBucks<\/a> | #FightToTheEnd<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7nsCk8oqcn<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 12, 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. For the second straight week, Ohio State is the unanimous No. 1\u00a0team\u00a0in college football.\u00a0The Buckeyes are ranked No. 1 in the CFP, AP Poll and Coaches Poll. They are also No. 1 in both the College Football Power Index<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SP+<\/a>.\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\t9-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t27.6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t46.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t48.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t99.4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t24.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tINDIANA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t10-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t26.7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t44.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t46.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t99.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t24.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOREGON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t23.6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t44.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t85.6%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8.1%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tALABAMA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t22.3<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t35.4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t52.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t95.4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t10.4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tNOTRE DAME<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7-2<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t22<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t71.5%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tN\/A<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t48.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2.2%<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State’s future opponents in the College Football Power Index: UCLA (68), Rutgers (60), Michigan (18)\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\t9-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t30.5<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t39.6 (8)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9.2 (1)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.0 (59)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tINDIANA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t10-0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t27.7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t40 (5)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t12.8 (4)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.5 (14)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOREGON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t26.6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t37.8 (12)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11.6 (2)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.4 (32)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS TECH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9-1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t25.2<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t38.5 (11)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t13.6 (5)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.3 (41)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS A&M<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7-2<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t22.6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t40.8 (2)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t18.3 (18)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.1 (41)<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State’s future opponents in the SP+: UCLA (77), Rutgers (79), Michigan (18)\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\tUCLA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11\/15<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCOLUMBUS, OH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE 98.3%<\/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 96.8%<\/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 79.3%<\/p>\n \tMovements from Week 11\u00a0to Week 12<\/p>\n \t\tUCLA: 98.4%\u00a0\u2192\u00a098.3%<\/p>\n \t\tRutgers: 97.2%\u00a0\u2192 96.8%<\/p>\n \t\tMichigan: 79.6%\u00a0\u2192\u00a079.3%<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State’s game\u00a0plan\u00a0for the next three weeks seems simple to me: Take care of business the next two weeks, then avenge the fallen on Nov. 29.\n<\/p>\n \n\tDoes that sound good to everyone?\n<\/p>\n \n\tI think that should sound good to everyone.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0STOP STOP STOP.\u00a0Ohio State’s streak of three straight weeks\u00a0ranked No. 1 in stop rate is over, as Texas Tech took over the top spot in the metric.\n<\/p>\n \t\tFBS STOP RATE \u2014 BEFORE WEEK 12<\/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\tTEXAS TECH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t82.8%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.98<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOHIO STATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t82.4%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t0.88<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSAN DIEGO STATE<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t80.6%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.10<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTOLEDO<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t77.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.38<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tUTAH<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t77.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.35<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOREGON<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76.7%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.29<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tINDIANA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t76%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.12<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTEXAS<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t75.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.35<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tIOWA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t75.3%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.26<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tOKLAHOMA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t73.9%<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1.25<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t*GAMES VS. FBS OPPONENTS<\/p>\n \n\tThe Red Raiders and Buckeyes lead a new-look\u00a0top five, which features Marshall Faulk went there\u00a0San Diego State (80.6%),\u00a0My mom is from there\u00a0Toledo (77.9%) and\u00a0They filmed\u00a0High School Musical there\u00a0Utah (77.3%).\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe rest of the top 10 also experienced some shake-up, as Oregon now ranks No. 6 at 76.7%, followed by Indiana (76%), Texas (75.9%), Iowa (75.3%) and Oklahoma (73.9%).\n<\/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\tGiven Ohio State’s current form, the Buckeyes’\u00a0next three opponents shouldn’t (keyword: shouldn’t, as all bets are off for Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor) pose a challenge. UCLA has the No. 103 total offense and\u00a0No. 116 scoring offense in college football. Meanwhile, Rutgers ranks No. 41 and No. 57 in those categories, while Michigan ranks No. 51 and\u00a0No. 68.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0IN YOUR FEELINGS.\u00a0ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado<\/a> had one of\u00a0the\u00a0takes of all time in an article for the\u00a0Worldwide Leader.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to Maldonado, Julian Sayin has been too clean, too efficient and too good to win the Heisman this season. In order for him to take home the award, he needs to make the voters\u00a0feel something,\u00a0because right now, the quarterback who is completing 80.9% of his passes for 2,491 yards and 24 touchdowns\u00a0has zero emotional imprint\u00a0on the season.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tSayin’s path is tight, requiring a specific sequence that he has not shown yet. The gist is that Ohio State winning alone is not enough. If the Buckeyes beat UCLA, Rutgers, and even Michigan in the same 24-14, 38-14, 34-10 style they’ve done all year, that preserves their playoff seed but it doesn’t win the Heisman for Sayin.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tVoters need to feel something and right now he has zero emotional imprint on the season. Sure, he’s efficient, clean and technically superior, but where’s the drama? Efficiency without drama is invisible in a Heisman race.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tSayin needs a defining snapshot, something that cuts through the noise. Right now, his whole resume reads like 24 passing touchdowns (none on the ground), 300 yards a game, zero chaos, no sweat. That’s solid pocket-passing but, for the Heisman, it’s vanilla. It’s beautiful in a coach’s office, or for NFL draft grades, but it’s not something voters remember when scrolling through ballots.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe Michigan game is the only shot left. If Sayin walks into Ann Arbor and delivers the moment, a dagger thrown, a two-minute drill, a fourth-quarter answer, breaking Michigan’s four-game run against them, that becomes the pivot. Even with Michigan being ‘weaker’, the rivalry carries weight. “Breaking the streak” is a narrative arc but it has to be him, not\u00a0Jeremiah Smith.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tAnd that brings us to the Smith problem. When I talk about Ohio State, I talk about Smith, not Sayin. The best highlight from your offense consistently belongs to your wide receiver, diluting the quarterback narrative. Sayin is the facilitator, and Smith is the spectacle.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tSo what does Sayin need in order to win? He needs Michigan to push Ohio State. Then he needs to respond with a defining drive or moment in that game, needs to be the reason the streak ends, needs a signature throw that belongs on the broadcast loop. Gus Johnson lost his mind with Mendoza’s pass. Can Sayin produce a similar reaction?\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tIf Ohio State cruises and Sayin stays clear but unspectacular, he finishes second. If he delivers a standout moment at Michigan, and then potentially beats Mendoza head-to-head in the Big Ten title game, he could be the favorite.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tRight now the story has been written without him. Sayin’s only path is to write the final chapter himself.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tI don’t\u00a0\u2014\n<\/p>\n \n\tHm.\n<\/p>\n \n\tI need a minute, or an hour? day? week? month? year? decade? lifetime? to think about that take.\n<\/p>\n \n\tI just \u2014\n<\/p>\n \n\tNope. I don’t have the words. I have to move on.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0DRAFT STONKS.\u00a0Last week, The Athletic\u2019s Nick Baumgardner<\/a> made headlines when he selected Arvell Reese as the No. 1 overall pick in his 2026 NFL mock draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler<\/a> agreed with the assessment, ranking Reese as his top prospect in the 2026 class. Brugler also included Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate in his top 10, while Kayden McDonald and Sonny Styles joined them in the top 26.\n<\/p>\n \tNo. 1 – Arvell Reese<\/p>\n \n\t\tWant to play him as a full-time edge rusher? Reese can do that. Prefer to keep him off the ball? He can do that, too. At 6 feet 4 and 240 pounds with long arms, Reese is just as comfortable setting the edge with violence as he is dropping in space to cover ground or using burst to capture the corner and close on the quarterback. I don\u2019t know how realistic it is that Reese actually will be the first player (or first non-quarterback) drafted, but he is the best draft-eligible prospect I have studied in 2025.\n\t<\/p>\n \tNo. 3 – Caleb Downs<\/p>\n \n\t\tLike Arvell Reese, I don\u2019t think Downs will be drafted as highly as I have him ranked, because of positional value. Given how the NFL has drafted safeties in recent years, we can\u2019t even call Downs a top-10 lock. But the Ohio State All-American is one of the best pure football players in this draft class. NFL coaches are going to love how he marries his athletic ability, field vision and toughness.\n\t<\/p>\n \tNo. 10 – Carnell Tate<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe wide receiver factory in Columbus, Ohio, has another stud ready to upgrade an NFL offense. For a taller receiver, Tate is incredibly meticulous in his routes and at his best on vertical stems, where he can use pacing and acceleration to win downfield. He has been dominant at the catch point this season \u2014 zero drops and a 92.3 percent contested-catch rate (12 catches on 13 contested targets).\n\t<\/p>\n \tNo. 23 – Kayden McDonald<\/p>\n \n\t\tAlthough you’d like to see more of a pass-rush impact on his tape, McDonald has been a dominant run defender as a first-year starter for the Buckeyes. At 330 pounds, he plays with the power and hip snap to reset the line of scrimmage and the range to make plays in multiple gaps.\n\t<\/p>\n \tNo. 26 – Sonny Styles<\/p>\n \n\t\tIt is rare to find 6-foot-4, 240-pound linebackers who are freak athletes. Ohio State has two of them: Styles and Arvell Reese. A senior captain, Styles is still just 20 years old. He uses his range and speed to quickly react to what he sees, and he isn\u2019t close to reaching his ceiling.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tIf Ohio State beats Michigan, wins a Big Ten championship and wins the College Football Playoff this season \u2014 and I hope it’s more like\u00a0when\u00a0for all three, especially the first \u2014\u00a0it will be because of these five dudes. Oh, and Heisman candidate Julian Sayin, Biletnikoff frontunner Jeremiah Smith and future All-Big Ten honorees Max Klare, Austin Siereveld, Caden Curry, Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0DAILY DUBCAST. Today’s Eleven Dubcast brings on Dan Hope to discuss the four recruits Ohio State flipped to Columbus in the span of last Thursday to Monday and how the Buckeyes could potentially have more commitment flips in store after the UCLA game this weekend.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY. “Everybody” – Backstreet Boys.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0A mysterious meow from her car introduces Baylor coach Nicki Collen to a new family member<\/a>…\u00a0Mavericks fire GM Nico Harrison 9 months after widely panned Luka Doncic trade<\/a>…\u00a0Cleveland\u2019s Stephen Vogt and Milwaukee\u2019s Pat Murphy win Manager of the Year for second\u00a0straight season<\/a>…\u00a0Man says romance scammers have been using his picture to attract women for 15 years<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n