Ahhhhhhh. This. Is. The Skull Session. Wherever you may be and however you may be reading, welcome in.
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I know my grandma proud #ForGranny pic.twitter.com/EfFL25l0vW
— Chop (@Miyannnn3) January 11, 2023
Let's have a good Thursday, shall we?
THE NEXT GEORGIA. After Kirby Smart and Georgia won their second consecutive national championship on Monday, becoming only the second program since the turn of the century to do that (Alabama in 2011 and 2012), the question surrounding college football has been this: Which team will be the "next Georgia"?
According to ESPN's Paul Finebaum, that team is Ohio State.
"I still think Ohio State is the best built of any program out there. They need to get over the hump, but as I watch college football – and I know you can't forget the Michigan game, as it was the biggest game of the year for them – they have everything they need to contend. They are not far from the same level as Georgia, which we saw in that semifinal game."
It's somewhat crazy that Ohio State would ever need to be the next [choose a team] because the Buckeyes have been the model of consistency in college football for forever, especially in the last 60 years.
However, Smart and the Bulldogs are now a dynasty after winning back-to-back championships with a path to a third in 2023 looking pretty good, pretty good given their schedule for next season in the mighty Southeastern Conference.
lol see you next year for the threepeat pic.twitter.com/HQu3R3wAXJ
— johnny aka elon butts (@johnny11w) January 10, 2023
So, yes, it is correct to ask who the "next Georgia" will be. They are the gold standard for college football as of now. And while Finebaum did not directly say Ohio State will be the "next Georgia," he did claim the Buckeyes are the best-built team to accomplish that feat, and that's on the nose.
Is it fair to say Ohio State is the team in college football that has failed to meet its expectations for the past decade? I believe it is. After winning the inaugural CFP in 2014, the Buckeyes have never reached that pinnacle again. They've always fallen short.
Look at 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and think about how one game in each of those seasons knocked the Buckeyes off their path toward winning a national championship.
Michigan State in 2015, Purdue in 2018, Clemson in 2019, Michigan in 2021 and Georgia in 2022. Of course, the last two teams also lost to Oregon (2021) and Michigan (2022), but even with those defeats, the Buckeyes still had a chance to win it all.
There's no guarantee Ohio State goes on to win the CFP in any of those seasons, but avoiding the catastrophes that were those losses would have kept the Buckeyes on course and moving headstrong toward a championship.
The bottom line is this: Ohio State has always been right there. For the better part of a decade, one game has separated a Buckeye team from being the foundation of a dynasty like the one Georgia is experiencing today.
BACK-2-BACK CHAMPIONS @GeorgiaFootball | #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/iBWC8i5VBK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 10, 2023
All Ohio State needs is one championship. If Ryan Day can lead the Buckeyes to one here soon, there's no doubt in my mind they will be the "next Georgia." All they have to remember is that every game matters. In the CFP era, nobody knows that better than Ohio State.
COPIUM TASTES GOOD. Nick Saban is so mad Ohio State made the College Football Playoff over Alabama, which was made blatantly obvious by his vote in the final USA TODAY Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
In case you missed it, I wrote an article on Wednesday about where each coach who voted in the final AFCA Poll for this past season ranked the Buckeyes. Some of the coaches included Smart, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, TCU's Sonny Dykes and several other prominent names.
Ohio State was ranked second by Marcus Freeman, third by Kyle Whittingham, fourth by Kirby Smart, fifth by Nick Saban and seventh by Dino Babers in the final Coaches Poll. https://t.co/60pcPB1lSy
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 11, 2023
Ohio State was placed between second and seventh in the rankings (more on who put them seventh in a moment), with the ol' Sabanator slapping the Buckeyes down at No. 5 behind Georgia, his very own Alabama Crimson Tide, TCU and Michigan.
This move is next-level cope for Saban. Had the CFP committee used his idea for theoretical point spreads involving matchups between Alabama and Georgia, TCU, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee, he believes the Crimson Tide would have earned the No. 4 seed in the four-team tournament. But they didn't.
Coach Nick Saban joins the Big Ten Championship halftime show. pic.twitter.com/WWzdvOkf18
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 4, 2022
Instead, Alabama played in the Sugar Bowl and destroyed a Kansas State team that, to use Saban's logic, the Tide were favored to beat by 11.5 points. Does he really think that's more impressive than Ohio State going wire-to-wire with the eventual national champions in their own backyard? I don't see how he could. Still, his ranking of Alabama and Ohio State would indicate that is the case.
Give me a break.
As for who ranked Ohio State seventh, that would be Dino Babers of Syracuse. His top six were Georgia, TCU, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and – *checks notes* – Florida State?! That's... bold. I don't think he actually believes that but to each their own.
Perhaps – and these are all hypothetical and completely made-up reasons, mind you – he is still upset Ohio State hired Day over him in 2018. Or maybe he placed a bet on the Buckeyes' moneyline. Could he be bitter about Ja'Had Carter leaving Syracuse to become a Silver Bullet?
Whatever the reason, I'm sure it makes sense in his head. More power to him. I just think he's dead wrong.
THANK YOU, KEVIN WILSON. The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Kevin Wilson, said farewell to Ohio State this week as he heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to become the head coach of the Golden Hurricane football program. And, as I expressed with Paris Johnson Jr. heading to the NFL in yesterday's Skully, I couldn't be happier.
Thank You #BuckeyeNation - 6 Great Life-Changing Years @OhioStateFB
— Kevin Wilson (@TulsaCoachKDub) January 11, 2023
Thank You @OSU_AD @CoachUrbanMeyer @ryandaytime the Coaching & Support Staffs
Thank You to Our Players - Lifelong Relationships - Grateful for Your Work, Sacrifice & Loyalty. #AlwaysABuckeye #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/c5ECoVc92f
Grateful & Proud of Our TE Unit @OhioStateFB - 6 Yrs Working with Great Players - Men Who Sacrificed & Worked Unselfishly for the TEAM!
— Kevin Wilson (@TulsaCoachKDub) January 11, 2023
The Men In the Arena @mitch_rossi5 @cstov8
Gonna Miss Our TE Unit - Special Players & Men#Warriors #Leaders #BUCKEYES pic.twitter.com/bp30MJgiLB
And again, please don't misunderstand me. I would be equally happy if Kevin Wilson was coming back for another year as Ohio State's offensive coordinator. I am just thankful a college football program finally opened its eyes to the work Wilson has been doing with the Buckeyes over the past six years.
While we like to say Day is the leader of Ohio State's offense because he calls the play, Wilson was the unsung hero of the Buckeyes' high-powered offensive attack during his tenure. After all, he did hold the title of offensive coordinator, which to me, was a lot more than a way for him to make more money. He had a real influence on the offense's design and flow, which worked wonders for the Buckeyes over time.
| YEAR / SEASON | YPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 506.0 | 41.1 |
| 2018 | 535.7 | 42.4 |
| 2019 | 530.4 | 46.9 |
| 2020 | 519.4 | 41.0 |
| 2021 | 561.5 | 45.7 |
| 2022 | 490.7 | 44.2 |
Wilson will be missed as Ohio State's offensive coordinator, with the Buckeyes' statistical output offensively among many significant reasons. Best of luck to him at Tulsa – I'm sure he will crush it there.
Now it's time for Ohio State to nail the hiring of the person who will replace him. That person has big shoes to fill, but I'm confident Day and Gene Smith will find the right man for the job.
OLYMPIC VILLAGE. The new home of Ohio State men's and women's lacrosse is finally here. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the programs' state-of-the-art lacrosse-specific stadium, where the Buckeye laxers will look to make some noise for the first time in spring 2023.
Welcome to your new home @OhioStateMLAX @OhioStateWLAX! Thank you for your trust @OhioStAthletics, the new lacrosse-only stadium is stunning! Leading venue in #collegelacrosse pic.twitter.com/AAun3QNFGP
— FieldTurf (@FieldTurf) January 11, 2023
On Monday, the men's and women's teams broke in the turf at their new home for the first time. By the looks of it, the players had fun while practicing in a venue that can hold between 2,000 and 3,000 fans.
Bucks Are Back#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9GGQuZiHNv
— Ohio State Men's Lacrosse (@OhioStateMLAX) January 10, 2023
As for what the stadium offers for fans beyond plenty of seats, Lacrosse All-Stars writes:
From the fan perspective, the stadium will hold somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 fans. The Buckeyes drew over 5,000 in their final home game last season, The stadium will offer different types of seating, from traditional bleachers, to berm seating, a standing-room-only section, and an observation deck. Ohio State has one of the loudest and most passionate fan bases around. I have no doubt that the new lacrosse facility will be one of the louder and more intimidating atmospheres in college lacrosse for opposing teams.
Aesthetically, the stadium no doubt will be the class of the Big Ten, Division 1 lacrosse, and the Midwest. The iconic red border with the helmet stripe outlines the field. The faceoff dot will feature the Ohio State logo outlined by the state of Ohio.
Sounds awesome. Make sure to take a trip down to the stadium this spring and cheer on both Ohio State teams. I hear both teams are ready to have great seasons and make Buckeye Nation proud.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Always Been You" by Quinn XCII.
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