Welcome to the Skull Session.

An Ohio State home game?

That will end under the lights?!

Wow.

What a time to be alive.

Have a good Tuesday.

 “HE EXPECTS TO WIN EVERY GAME.” Before Jim Tressel is inducted into the Ohio Stadium Ring of Honor on Saturday, the legendary Ohio State football coach appeared on CBS Sports HQ to discuss his legacy, the Buckeyes’ 2002 national championship and more with one of his former players, Chris “Beanie” Wells.

There was a lot to like about the interview, but I loved hearing Tressel share what he admires about Ryan Day. There’s a lot, but if he had to pick the two most important things, they would be that Day surrounds himself with good people who will uphold the tradition and excellence of Ohio State football and that he expects to win every game as the Buckeyes’ head coach.

“One of the best things coach Day has done is that he hasn’t apologized for wanting to bring in good people. Of course, he wants great players and he recruits top kids, but he first and foremost wants to make sure he brings in the type of person that can maintain the tradition and the excellence of Ohio State,” Tressel said.

“The other thing he’s done a great job of is, you know, let’s face it, we always worked on building culture in our team, but you have to do it faster now because I think Coach Day has 51 of 55 new players on his roster, and some of them are here for the first time. They don’t even know that much about Ohio State other than the fact that we’ve been near the top and send a lot of guys to the NFL and they see a lot of guys on TV. We’re fortunate; a lot of guys like (Wells) and a lot of people are on the television screen, but do they really know our history?

“You have to (create culture) more quickly, and I think he’s done a nice job of really integrating that history and that tradition and that responsibility of playing here. And I think he doesn’t relax the high standards; he expects to win every game.”

Man, we’re lucky.

To go from Jim Tressel to Urban Meyer to Ryan Day and have all three lead Ohio State to national championships while upholding the program’s standard of excellence is just incredible.

The Buckeyes are the gold standard of college football, and we’re fortunate to have another gold standard coach in Ryan Day.

 “HE LOOKS PRETTY GOOD TO ME.” Ryan Day has always been that guy.

Long before he became a national championship-winning head coach, Day was a record-breaking quarterback at New Hampshire. The three Ohio State players who joined him at Big Ten Media Days — Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Jaylen McClain — got a glimpse of what made Day a star at his home-state school.

Day set nine program records at New Hampshire, including career completions (653), completion percentage (59.9%), touchdown passes (53) and total offense (8,492). He was also a team captain as a senior in 2001.

But remember, there are levels to this.

Sayin said he’s a better quarterback than Day, while McClain said he wouldn’t have any trouble intercepting one of Day’s passes.

Both are telling the truth — and I admire them for doing it, especially when they’re talking about the man who can tell them to run wind sprints or knock out some push-ups whenever he feels like it.

 OSU IS WRU. Two former Ohio State wide receivers are among the NFL’s Top-100 players entering the 2026 season, with Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba earning recognition after standout 2025 campaigns.

Olave comes in at No. 64 after a career year with the Saints. The former Ohio State star caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025, setting career highs in both receptions and receiving yards, while nearly doubling his career touchdown total. Even more impressive, Olave’s season came after he considered retiring following multiple concussions the year before.

Smith-Njigba, meanwhile, lands at No. 5 after an absolutely sensational third NFL season. The former Buckeye led the league with 1,793 receiving yards on 119 catches with 10 touchdowns, becoming the focal point of Seattle’s passing attack. Smith-Njigba went on to win Offensive Player of the Year and lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl.

Both Smith-Njigba and Olave got paid this offseason. Smith-Njigba inked a four-year, $168.6 million extension that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, while Olave signed a four-year, $132 million deal.

And it’s not just those two.

When combining Smith-Njigba and Olave’s contracts with Garrett Wilson’s four-year, $130 million deal and Terry McLaurin’s three-year, $97 million deal, former Ohio State wide receivers have signed contracts worth $527.6 million in total compensation over the past two years.

Is that good?

Soon, good could get even better if Marvin Harrison Jr. finally taps into his superstar potential with the Arizona Cardinals this season and earns the massive extension that keeps him in the desert for years to come.

 “WE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS.” Lyle Alenstein and I discussed USC’s horrific attendance for the program’s season-opening win over San Jose State on Monday’s episode of the Eleven Dubcast.

Something we missed in our conversation, however, was that USC shared a statement with USA TODAY addressing the crowd of 51,144 in the 77,500-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC told USA TODAY. “We have high expectations and a premier home schedule this season, and we know the competitive advantage an electric Coliseum atmosphere can provide our program. We thank our fans who showed up Saturday and look forward to seeing increased attendance the rest of the season.”

I think these are the factors USC is referring to: It was 94 degrees for the noon kickoff, with a real feel of 104, and… wait, that’s it.

Look, I’m all about safety and people taking care of themselves. But to blame the high temperatures — and some humidity? I guess? Acting like that’s the reason 25,000 people passed on a USC football game is delusional.

A better explanation is that USC fans aren’t really fans.

Not the kind of fans Ohio State has, at least.

And not the kind of fans Texas Tech has, either.

(To be clear, I don’t think Texas Tech fans are on the same level as Ohio State’s, but I want to add another layer to this hilarious story.)

Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire, who hasn’t exactly been the most popular person in college football this offseason, took a jab — not a shot — at USC during a Monday press conference.

“Not to take any shots, because I have a lot of respect for USC and Lincoln Riley, but it’s really awesome to be playing in Lubbock, Texas, knowing we’re going to be playing in front of 60,000 (fans),” McGuire said. “It’s going to be warm. It’s going to be every bit as warm as it was Saturday. … The great thing is we got some really tough people in West Texas that love their football, and they’re going to show up, no matter what the weather’s like. There’s not going to be any excuse for why they’re not going to be here for us.”

Gosh, I love that quote.

The weather for Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State is currently projected to be in the low 80s with a small chance of rain, and you can bet your bottom dollar there will be 100,000 people in the stands.

That’s because college football just means more in Columbus — certainly more than it does in Los Angeles. (And Lubbock, too!)

 SONG OF THE DAY. “End of August” – Noah Kahan.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. At 91, Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail… Tennessee Volunteers to honor late Dolly Parton with a helmet sticker this season… With $6.5 million left on deal, UCLA fires AD Martin Jarmond… This gas station chain will feature White Castle vending machines… Argentina’s Lionel Messi retires from international football.