Welcome to the Skull Session.
The last time Ohio State faced Washington…
The last time @OhioStateFB faced Washington, Dwayne Haskins put on a show for the Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/8CdkwsRDtF
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) September 25, 2025
Rest in peace, Dwayne.
Have a good Saturday.
THE WORLD FAMOUS OHIO STATE BUCKEYES. In the Tuesday Skull Session, I noted that one of two streaks will come to an end on Saturday: Ohio State’s 21-game run of victories coming off a bye week, or Washington’s 22-game run of victories at home. I’ll choose the latter.
Yes, Washington’s last home loss came in 2021 — or “three head coaches ago,” as Eleven Warriors editor Ramzy Nasrallah wrote in this week’s Situational. Yes, Huskies running back Jonah Coleman is good, wide receiver Denzel Boston is great, and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is grand. Yes, this, that and the other.
But the Washington Huskies are not THE World Famous Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s quarterback is the nation’s most accurate passer. Its running back shares a name with one of the greatest athletes ever. Its wide receivers look like they were built in laboratories. What’s more, the Buckeyes boast one of college football’s best offensive and defensive lines, a linebacker room full of freaks and a defensive backfield that’s arguably the Best in America.
There is no streak too long, no venue too hostile and no team too talented to hold Ohio State down. All things considered, the Buckeyes should be able to turn talent and experience into points on Saturday — lots of them.
Ohio State 34 – Washington 20.
THE MENU. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man.
There are some excellent matchups in college football on Saturday.
- 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois (Noon on FOX)
- No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. on ABC)
- No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia (7:30 p.m. on ABC)
- No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State (7:30 p.m. on NBC)
There’s also the Ryder Cup, MLB games with tons of playoff implications and, of course, NFL games on Sunday. What a dream weekend for sports fans!
| MATCHUP | TIME (ET) | TV/STREAMING |
|---|---|---|
| UCF at Kansas State | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Bowling Green at Ohio | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| South Alabama at North Texas | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Rutgers at Minnesota | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Louisville at Pitt | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Duke at Syracuse | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| No. 16 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| Cincinnati at Kansas | 12:00pm | TNT/HBO Max |
| No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas | 12:00pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| Utah State at No. 18 Vanderbilt | 12:45pm | SECN |
| Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Southern at James Madison | 1:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Arkansas State at ULM | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Akron at Toledo | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Rice at Navy | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Utah at West Virginia | 3:30pm | FOX |
| California at Boston College | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| UConn at Buffalo | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Baylor at Oklahoma State | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss | 3:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| No. 1 Ohio State at Washington | 3:30pm | CBS/Paramount+ |
| No. 11 Indiana at Iowa | 3:30pm | Peacock |
| Lindenwood at Miami (Ohio) | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| San Diego State at NIU | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UCLA at Northwestern | 3:30pm | BTN |
| New Mexico State at New Mexico | 4:00pm | ALT/MWN |
| Hawaii at Air Force | 4:00pm | FS1 |
| Tulane at Tulsa | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State | 4:15pm | SECN |
| Liberty at Old Dominion | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Middle Tennessee at Kennesaw State | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Rhode Island at Western Michigan | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| WKU at Missouri State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Memphis at Florida Atlantic | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Jacksonville State at Southern Miss | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Virginia Tech at NC State | 7:00pm | The CW |
| Appalachian State at Boise State | 7:30pm | FS1 |
| Washington State at Colorado State | 7:30pm | CBSSN |
| No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State | 7:30pm | NBC/Peacock |
| No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia | 7:30pm | ABC/ESPN3 |
| UMass at No. 20 Missouri | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| San Jose State at Stanford | 7:30pm | ACCN |
| Kentucky at South Carolina | 7:45pm | SECN |
| Marshall at Louisiana | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana Tech at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| No. 25 BYU at Colorado | 10:15pm | ESPN |
OUR PICKS. We planned to take a break from Our Picks during Ohio State’s bye week, then Eleven Warriors editor Dan Hope decided to write an article breaking down Games to Watch during the Buckeyes’ break, and — like degenerates — we decided to pick the spreads for them. It ended up being a good decision, as Dan, Andy Anders and I all went positive on the week! Here’s our records after four weeks of college football:
Andy: 8-12
Chase: 10-10
Dan: 11-9
And here are the games for this week:
No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois (+6.5)
USC has put together a respectable résumé with double-digit wins over Purdue on the road and Michigan State at home. The schedule stiffens over the next three weeks, however, with trips to No. 23 Illinois and No. 22 Notre Dame sandwiched around a home game against No. 19 Michigan. Illinois remains a bit of a mystery after an embarrassing 63-10 loss at Indiana, but the Illini will have the advantage of playing at home — and at 11 a.m. local time, which will feel like a 9 a.m. kickoff for the Trojans.
Andy: USC
Chase: Illinois
Dan: Illinois
No. 11 Indiana at Iowa (+7.5)
Indiana enters its first road test with plenty of momentum after a 63-10 demolition of Illinois, as quarterback Fernando Mendoza and a deep backfield have powered the Hoosiers to a 4-0 start and the No. 11 ranking in the AP Poll. Iowa, meanwhile, will counter with one of the nation’s top defenses — Iowa? With one of the nation’s best defenses? Go figure! — and hope transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski runs wild for the second straight week after recording three rushing scores against Rutgers.
Andy: Indiana
Chase: Indiana
Dan: Indiana
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss (-1.5)
LSU and Ole Miss continue one of the SEC’s best rivalries — the Magnolia Bowl — as two of the top teams in college football this season. The Tigers, ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll, roll into Oxford on the heels of a dominant 56-10 win over Southern Louisiana that reaffirmed the team’s offensive upside. Meanwhile, Ole Miss cleared Tulane, 45-10, despite quarterback Austin Simmons missing his second straight game. If Simmons can’t play against the Tigers, Trinidad Chambliss would make his third consecutive start after accounting for 834 yards of offense and five total touchdowns in wins over Arkansas and Tulane.
Andy: LSU
Chase: LSU
Dan: LSU
No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State (-3.5)
Penn State beat Nevada, FIU and Villanova by an average of 38.3 points, while Oregon beat Montana State, Oklahoma State (who fired Mike Gundy this week), Northwestern and Oregon State by an average of 41.5 points. On Saturday, both teams will face their first real test of the 2025 season, but the Nittany Lions will benefit from home-field advantage and a true White Out atmosphere under the lights at Beaver Stadium. Will that environment be enough to negate the curse of Big Game James?
Andy: Oregon
Chase: Oregon
Dan: Penn State
No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia (-2.5)
Last season, Alabama beat Georgia in a 41-34 shootout in Tuscaloosa. This season, the Bulldogs are seeking revenge at home. Kirby Smart and Co. are favored after surviving at Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. Georgia showed some cracks in that one, but still managed to secure the win. Alabama enters the matchup with some momentum, especially for quarterback Ty Simpson, who has completed 41 of 46 passes for 608 yards and seven touchdowns since the Crimson Tide’s season-opening loss to Florida State.
Andy: Georgia
Chase: Georgia
Dan: Georgia
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. Before I leave you, I want to share this take from ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt about Ohio State.
SVP on Ohio State – I dont care who you are, its your biggest game
Compares to Duke pic.twitter.com/N29b58JaCK
— Garrison (@Buckeye_Gaddy) September 25, 2025
“Ohio State, I compare them to Duke with (Mike) Krzyzewski and that when they come to your stadium, I don’t care who you are, it’s your biggest game,” Van Pelt said. “That’s what they are. They go to Penn State; it’s your biggest game. They go to Michigan; it’s your biggest game. They went to Oregon last year; it’s your biggest game. That’s a rare space to live in. That’s what they are.”
That’s how it’s been, how it is and how it always will be. Ohio State knows this. In fact, they welcome it. In the words of Ryan Day from the Washington Game Trailer, “You’re different. Right from the jump, make sure they understand they’re playing somebody different tonight. They’re playing the Buckeyes. They’re playing The Ohio State Buckeyes!”
Maurice Clarett narrates Ohio State’s Washington Game Trailer
“So you say you want to be different, but are you obsessive? We’re not chasing normal. We’re obsessed with being different.”pic.twitter.com/WIS7FTSpBC
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 25, 2025
Time to be different.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Tony Hawk’s legendary skateboard just sold for a record-breaking $1.15 million… Mariners fan who gave away Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball to child gets to meet the slugger… An “attack squirrel” has injured multiple people in California… Ancient skull from China may shake up timeline of human evolution.
