\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tNo more sleeps until Ohio State football.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd no more sleep for me come January 2027.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tSome personal news before Ohio State begins preseason practice: Baby Brown due January 2027! pic.twitter.com\/A5tfOHN4B5<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) August 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHave a good Thursday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cTHERE\u2019S GOING TO BE ADVERSITY.\u201d Ryan Day joined the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and shared what he believes will determine whether Ohio State can make another run at a national championship in 2026: building the type of chemistry and purpose that turns a group of players into something more.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\t“There’s new names in the building and we’ve gotta pull together..<\/p>\n We’ve gotta make sure that everybody in that locker room is coming together for that one common purpose” ~ @ryandaytime<\/a> #PMSLive<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/W4IjoFobJQ<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBecause there are new names in the building, and we have to do this in short order, there\u2019s going to be adversity along the way and pulling together and building that competitive stamina all the way to Jan. 25 is gonna be the key here,\u201d Day said. \u201cSo much of it is in the offseason. What we do in the weight room, what we do in terms of building teams \u2014 it\u2019s so much of it.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFor us, it\u2019s like, what is this time about? The way we describe it are there are teams and tribes. Teams are a bunch of people who have the same uniform, that are in the same locker room. A tribe is a group of people that come together for one common purpose. Making sure that everybody in that locker room is thinking about that one purpose.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIn today\u2019s day and age, with everything going on NIL-wise, the portal, it\u2019s very easy to get distracted and guys can start going in different directions. Championship teams have that purpose, and they all come together. To your point, that is the key. So much of it has been built up since we all got together in January, but a lot of it is gonna have to happen right now in preseason camp.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tDay\u2019s comments are a reminder that Ohio State\u2019s biggest challenge this season might not be a lack of talent. It\u2019s bringing together a roster filled with elite players, new faces and high expectations into one cohesive group.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe Buckeyes have plenty of star power. They have the reigning national championship pedigree. They have arguably the best player in college football in Jeremiah Smith. But as Day has repeatedly emphasized, talent alone does not win championships.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe teams that survive the adversity Day referenced are the ones that become tribes \u2014 not just groups of players wearing the same uniform, but teammates willing to sacrifice for the same goal. That journey begins Thursday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0TOUGHER THAN TOUGH. Praise be to ESPN\u2019s Jake Trotter<\/a>, who picked Ohio State as the school with the toughest schedule in college football in an article handing out schedule superlatives for the 2026 season.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrotter deserves praise for two reasons: First, he\u2019s an excellent reporter who covers Ohio State from time to time. Second, he went against ESPN\u2019s College Football Power Index<\/a>, which ranks the Buckeyes\u2019 strength of schedule No. 8 behind seven SEC schools: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Florida. (The Buckeyes also have seven SEC schools immediately behind them: Texas A&M, South Carolina, LSU, Missouri, Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama. Funny how that works!)\n<\/p>\n \n\tHere\u2019s what Trotter wrote about Ohio State\u2019s gauntlet:\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tLast season, the Buckeyes beat then-top-ranked Texas in the opener and cruised through the rest of the regular season. Ohio State faced only two more opponents ranked \u2014 No. 17 Illinois and No. 15 Michigan \u2014 and rolled by a combined 36 points.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe Buckeyes didn’t see the Big Ten’s other top teams \u2014 Indiana, Oregon and USC \u2014 and a Nov. 1 showdown against Penn State didn’t materialize, as the Nittany Lions fell apart.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tWere last year’s Buckeyes battled-tested for the postseason?\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThey lost to the Hoosiers 13-10 in the Big Ten title game before falling 24-14 to Miami in a playoff quarterfinal. In both defeats, Ohio State got pushed around up front.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThis season’s schedule is a different story. The Buckeyes go to Texas on Sept. 12. In mid-October, they travel to Indiana (Oct. 17) and USC (Oct. 31) before taking on Oregon on Nov. 7, capping a brutal three-game stretch.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tShould the Buckeyes return to the playoff, they’ll definitely be battled-tested this time.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tI like the sound of that.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0THREE SILVER BULLETS. Breaking: The stars of Ohio State\u2019s 2025 defense are good at football.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith NFL training camps in full swing, coaches, players, media members and more have spent the past few weeks confirming what Buckeye fans already knew: Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs are pretty special football players.\n<\/p>\n \n\tNew York Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, a nine-year NFL veteran, has quickly become a fan of Reese after lining up against the rookie linebacker in practice. Eluemunor called the former Buckeye \u201ca dang good player\u201d and said he\u2019s grateful Reese is wearing the same uniform.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think he\u2019s going to be a pretty dang good player,\u201d Eluemunor said, via The Athletic\u2019s Charlotte Carroll<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m glad he\u2019s on our team. I\u2019ll tell you that. He\u2019s quick. He\u2019s physical. You can tell he truly loves this game and that his instincts are just ridiculous. I had one play today where I climbed to the second level, and we smacked each other, and I tripped, just in case there\u2019s a video (laughter). I got tripped. I got tripped! There was something behind me, and I got table-topped! \u2026 I like him a lot.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tIt has been a strong start to camp for rookie LB Arvell Reese. The No. 5 overall pick has been impressive with his run fits and in coverage. #Giants<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/A2AFZB5Egv<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) August 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tWashington Commanders linebacker Javon Kinlaw has been just as impressed with Styles, calling the former Buckeye safety a \u201cfreak of nature.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cJust a freak of nature, bro,\u201d Kinlaw said, via\u00a0WUSA’s John Doran<\/a>. \u201cMe and him are looking eye to eye, but clearly he\u2019s running probably 10 miles (per hour) faster than I\u2019m running. He\u2019s coming downhill. He\u2019s coming downhill, and he\u2019s bringing thump with it. It\u2019s just fun to see a young, spy guy just bouncing all over the field, bro. He\u2019s just in the box with these running backs, and he ain\u2019t getting danced out of the hole.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tAbsolute unit. pic.twitter.com\/7AEYEjvEPs<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou love to see that. He ain\u2019t losing his ground on no contact. He can do some outstanding things in coverage. It\u2019s a blessing, bro. It\u2019s a blessing for me to be around someone like that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThen there\u2019s Downs, who has already earned the respect of one of the NFL\u2019s best quarterbacks. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said Downs\u2019 preparation and approach have stood out from the moment he arrived in Dallas.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe\u2019s as sharp of a young guy as I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Prescott said, via The Athletic\u2019s Jon Machota<\/a>. \u201cIt starts with his mentality and his approach to the game. It\u2019s who he is. Obviously you can see it on the football field. You see it any moment that football is being talked about, whether it\u2019s in the meetings or whether it\u2019s a walk-through or it\u2019s at practice. But just to spend time around the guy outside of football, whether it\u2019s playing golf or just hanging out, shooting a commercial with him, that\u2019s who he is. And that is contagious.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tRookie S Caleb Downs at Cowboys training camp<\/p>\n via @RookieWatxh<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/OYptwBjZuu<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tMan, we were lucky to watch those three wear the scarlet and gray, weren\u2019t we?\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0POINTING RICK DALTON. The new season of Ted Lasso<\/a> premiered Tuesday on Apple TV, and as my wife and I watched a scene where Lasso attends a KC Current match alongside his former AFC Richmond colleagues, I had a full Leonardo DiCaprio\/Rick Dalton\/Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<\/a> moment:\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tAs footage from what appeared to be a real KC Current match played on screen, I spotted former Ohio State defender Izzy Rodriguez celebrating a goal with her teammates.\n<\/p>\n \n\tRodriguez, now in her fifth season in the National Women’s Soccer League, starred at Ohio State from 2017-21. She was named Big Ten Defender of the Year in 2020 and received the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2022, becoming just the second Buckeye women’s soccer player to earn the conference’s highest individual honor.\n<\/p>\n \n\tKansas City selected Rodriguez with the No. 43 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft, and she has developed into one of the league’s top defenders. Rodriguez has also broken through with the U.S. Women’s National Team, making two appearances and scoring her first international goal in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in June 2025.\n<\/p>\n \n\tRodriguez won’t receive a screen credit for her appearance in Ted Lasso, but it’s still fun to spot Buckeyes wherever they pop up \u2014 especially in one of television’s most popular shows, even if only for a brief moment.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY. “War Pigs” – Black Sabbath.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0This organ will play one composition until 2640. It\u2019s redefining how slowly music can be played<\/a>… First explosive diarrhea, now this:\u00a0Taylor Farms says ex-president committed $32M fraud, including UC Berkeley gift<\/a>…\u00a0Video shows Oregon football assistant coach leaving scene of crash that led to DUII, reckless driving charges<\/a>…\u00a0Drew Brees’ greatness, as seen through eyes of teammates, coaches<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n