Ohio State and the Big Ten are in extremely various locations when it comes to the 2020 fall football season. Scarlet and Gray fans and parents have actually all spoken out about their desire to play this fall along with the SEC, ACC and Big 12.
What hasnt been talked about enough is that the Big Ten and its 14 presidents that chose to cancel the fall football season on Aug. 11 werent making this decision on behalf of Ohio State. They viewed it from a different point of view, a conference-wide viewpoint, a president of a university viewpoint.
The Buckeyes had the most to lose by not playing in 2020, and its not even close. After coming one throw and multiple blown officiating calls away from playing in the championship game a year earlier, the Scarlet and Gray were heavy favorites to return to the College Football Playoff in 2020. Ohio State had the skill returning– much of it that will not play in a “useless” late-fall or early-winter season in favor of leaving early for the NFL Draft– to win the nationwide title this year.
” As a gamer, you work your whole life and as a coach, you work your entire life for an opportunity to coach a team like this,” head coach Ryan Day stated of his 2020 group in August. “This group is unique. Its special because its talented.
And while the Scarlet and Gray viewed this as a “cant miss” chance, to lots of programs, this was simply another season. One that, due to a pandemic, wasnt a need and could be pushed back or even not played and life would go on. This was reflective in the method the presidents reportedly voted.
See, most Big Ten presidents dont manage a school where football is a beast like it is at Ohio State. The athletics usually arent at the front of many Big Ten presidents minds.
And while these presidents count on football to assist money numerous things on their campus, consisting of non-revenue sports that have actually currently started to be cut in some places and their own wages, this choice was seen through the lens of the greater good. And while athletics and Buckeye football is at or near the forefront at Ohio State because of the emphasis and history of success, that is not the case all around the Big Ten.
Despite being ranked in the preseason AP Poll top 25, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa most likely werent making a run at the championship game this season. Penn State, had things gone right, might have remained in contention for a Playoff area, but that still does not look as near of a lock as the Buckeyes. If were being honest, none of these programs are seasonal title contenders the method the Scarlet and Gray were under Urban Meyer which consistency appears to be continuing under Day. Thats why the outcry has been the loudest from Columbus.
But the presidents– and this includes Johnson, to some extent– werent focused on winning a nationwide title when they made the choice. They took a look at increasing COVID numbers or possible myocarditis issues and unidentified longterm results of the infection– its difficult to tell considering that they will not launch info– and decided they felt was best for the security of all student-athletes in the conference.
Does this mean they made the best decision? No, and Buckeye Nation, along with other programs, have a right to be mad at the call and ask for more info. Is it possible the Big Ten, if the conference chooses to remain the course and not play, comes out looking absurd if the SEC, ACC and Big 12, in addition to the NFL, high school and pee wee football all make it through fall seasons with very little issues? Definitely.
The presidents plainly werent thinking about how they would look. They chose, incorrect or right, it wasnt safe adequate to play football this fall and one team competing for a title wasnt enough to sway 60 percent of the vote.
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And for those sobbing for Ohio State to leave the Big Ten, which may benefit its lofty football aspirations this year, that is simply a pipedream. Television agreements alone would make it nearly impossible to suddenly leave, not to point out the loss of income. The Buckeyes also must think about other sports, which the school wishes to remain in the Big Ten going forward and understand trying to pull football would damage relationships.
The Big Ten presidents took a calculated danger when electing to cancel, or “postpone,” as they put it, the fall football season. It was early at the same time, simply days after launching a well-thought-out schedule that would permit video games to be moved around if required and well over a month before a first video game needed to be played. If the Big Ten believed other conferences aside from the Pac-12 would eventually follow their lead, paving a much easier path to a winter season or spring season, up until now they have been misinterpreted. However they likely didnt consider that because, again, permitting the Scarlet and Gray to complete for a national title wasnt most presidents leading priority.
According to reports, Ohio State and the other schools that want to play football this fall are discovering it challenging to get enough other presidents on their side for a possible re-vote with brand-new medical info. Call it stubbornness, idiocracy, call it whatever you desire. The truth of the matter is, many Big Ten presidents dont concur with Ohio State due to the fact that they arent Ohio State and their concerns and point of view vary considerably from that of Buckeye Nation.
Ohio State and the Big Ten are in very various locations when it comes to the 2020 fall football season. See, many Big Ten presidents dont oversee a school where football is a beast like it is at Ohio State. Is it possible the Big Ten, if the conference decides to stay the course and not play, comes out looking foolish if the SEC, ACC and Big 12, along with the NFL, high school and pee wee football all make it through fall seasons with minimal problems? And for those sobbing for Ohio State to leave the Big Ten, which may benefit its lofty football aspirations this year, that is just a pipedream. The Big Ten presidents took a calculated risk when choosing to cancel, or “postpone,” as they put it, the fall football season.
