\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tAn Ohio State home game?\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThat will end under the lights?!<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe Athletic\u2019s Scott Dochterman revealed FOX picked Ohio State-Indiana and CBS selected Ohio State-Oregon during the Big Ten\u2019s network television draft involving FOX, CBS and NBC. https:\/\/t.co\/wDDxBjTBCu<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 31, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tWow.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhat a time to be alive.\n<\/p>\n \n\tHave a good Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cHE EXPECTS TO WIN EVERY GAME.\u201d <\/strong>Before Jim Tressel is inducted into the Ohio Stadium Ring of Honor<\/a> on Saturday, the legendary Ohio State football coach appeared on CBS Sports HQ to discuss his legacy, the Buckeyes\u2019 2002 national championship and more with one of his former players, Chris \u201cBeanie\u201d Wells.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere was a lot to like\u00a0about the interview, but I loved hearing Tressel share what he admires about Ryan Day. There\u2019s 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\u2019 head coach.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOne of the best things coach Day has done is that he hasn\u2019t 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,\u201d Tressel said.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe other thing he\u2019s done a great job of is, you know, let\u2019s 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\u2019t even know that much about Ohio State other than the fact that we\u2019ve been near the top and send a lot of guys to the NFL and they see a lot of guys on TV. We\u2019re fortunate; a lot of guys like (Wells) and a lot of people are on the television screen, but do they really know our history?\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou have to (create culture) more quickly, and I think he\u2019s done a nice job of really integrating that history and that tradition and that responsibility of playing here. And I think he doesn\u2019t relax the high standards; he expects to win every game.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tMan, we\u2019re lucky.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTo go from Jim Tressel to Urban Meyer to Ryan Day and have all three lead Ohio State to national championships while upholding the program\u2019s standard of excellence is just incredible.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe Buckeyes are the gold standard of college football, and we\u2019re fortunate to have another gold standard coach in Ryan Day.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cHE LOOKS PRETTY GOOD TO ME.\u201d<\/strong> Ryan Day has always been that guy.\n<\/p>\n \n\tLong 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 \u2014 Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Jaylen McClain \u2014 got a glimpse of what made Day a star at his home-state school.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\t.@OhioStateFB<\/a> players had fun watching some of Ryan Day\u2019s best moments from his New Hampshire playing days pic.twitter.com\/x7DhX0Q3OH<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) August 31, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tDay 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut remember, there are levels to this.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSayin said he\u2019s a better quarterback than Day, while McClain said he wouldn\u2019t have any trouble intercepting one of Day\u2019s passes.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBoth are telling the truth \u2014 and I admire them for doing it, especially when they\u2019re talking about the man who can tell them to run wind sprints or knock out some push-ups whenever he feels like it.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0OSU IS WRU. <\/strong>Two former Ohio State wide receivers are among the NFL\u2019s Top-100 players entering the 2026 season, with Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba earning recognition after standout 2025 campaigns.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOlave 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\u2019s season came after he considered retiring following multiple concussions the year before.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tNo. 64 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026\u2026@Saints<\/a> WR Chris Olave! @NFLFilms<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/EUNS9fTlrY<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 NFL (@NFL) July 16, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tSmith-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\u2019s passing attack. Smith-Njigba went on to win Offensive Player of the Year and lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tNo. 5 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026\u2026@Seahawks<\/a> WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba! @NFLFilms<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cttIMrAnWn<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 NFL (@NFL) August 31, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\tBoth Smith-Njigba and Olave got paid this offseason. Smith-Njigba inked a four-year, $168.6 million extension<\/a> that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, while Olave signed a four-year, $132 million deal<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAnd it\u2019s not just those two.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhen combining Smith-Njigba and Olave\u2019s contracts with Garrett Wilson\u2019s four-year, $130 million deal and Terry McLaurin\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\tIs that good?\n<\/p>\n \n\tSoon, 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cWE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS.\u201d <\/strong>Lyle Alenstein and I discussed USC\u2019s horrific attendance for the program\u2019s season-opening win over San Jose State on Monday\u2019s episode of the Eleven Dubcast.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSomething we missed in our conversation, however, was that USC shared a statement with USA TODAY<\/a> addressing the crowd of 51,144 in the 77,500-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe understand the factors that impacted Saturday\u2019s attendance,\u201d USC told USA TODAY. \u201cWe 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tI think these are the factors USC is referring to: It was 94 degrees for the noon kickoff, with a real feel of 104, and\u2026 wait, that\u2019s it.\n<\/p>\n \n\tLook, I\u2019m all about safety and people taking care of themselves. But to blame the high temperatures \u2014 and some humidity? I guess? Acting\u00a0like that\u2019s the reason 25,000 people passed on a USC football game is delusional.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tA better explanation is that USC fans aren\u2019t really fans.\n<\/p>\n \n\tNot the kind of fans Ohio State has, at least.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAnd not the kind of fans Texas Tech has, either.\n<\/p>\n \n\t(To be clear, I don\u2019t think Texas Tech fans are on the same level as Ohio State\u2019s, but I want to add another layer to this hilarious story.)\n<\/p>\n \n\tRed Raiders coach Joey McGuire, who hasn\u2019t exactly been the most popular person in college football this offseason, took a jab \u2014 not a shot \u2014 at USC during a Monday press conference.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tJoey McGuire gave his thoughts on playing in front of a sold out stadium full of Texas Tech fans this Saturday.<\/p>\n “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\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Kn9ez9xqFq<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Justin Margolius (@JustinMargolius) August 31, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n\t\u201cNot to take any shots, because I have a lot of respect for USC and Lincoln Riley, but it\u2019s really awesome to be playing in Lubbock, Texas, knowing we\u2019re going to be playing in front of 60,000 (fans),\u201d McGuire said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be warm. It\u2019s going to be every bit as warm as it was Saturday. \u2026 The great thing is we got some really tough people in West Texas that love their football, and they\u2019re going to show up, no matter what the weather\u2019s like. There\u2019s not going to be any excuse for why they\u2019re not going to be here for us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tGosh, I love that quote.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe weather for Ohio State\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat\u2019s because college football just means more in Columbus \u2014 certainly more than it does in Los Angeles. (And Lubbock, too!)\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY. <\/strong>“End of August” – Noah Kahan.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0<\/strong>At 91, Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail<\/a>…\u00a0Tennessee Volunteers to honor late Dolly Parton with a helmet sticker this season<\/a>…\u00a0With $6.5 million left on deal, UCLA fires AD Martin Jarmond<\/a>…\u00a0This gas station chain will feature White Castle vending machines<\/a>…\u00a0Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi retires from international football<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n
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