2020 College Football Season/Playoff Thread

[-Akronite-]

This is funny and fairly predictable.

There would of course be blowback, but it's honestly the right move. The requirement was dumb, given the lack of flexibility in the schedule (which of course was even more dumb), and Ohio State is the conference's only hope of a playoff bid. Besides, if we don't go then Indiana will represent the East, that team we beat who lost their quarterback.

Sad to say The Game is really in jeopardy. Michigan canceled their last home game, meaning they'll likely be too COVIDed up to play us, and they sealed their fate of being winless at home for the first time.

 

[TheLand1287]

This is funny and fairly predictable.

There would of course be blowback, but it's honestly the right move. The requirement was dumb, given the lack of flexibility in the schedule (which of course was even more dumb), and Ohio State is the conference's only hope of a playoff bid. Besides, if we don't go then Indiana will represent the East, that team we beat who lost their quarterback.

Sad to say The Game is really in jeopardy. Michigan canceled their last home game, meaning they'll likely be too COVIDed up to play us, and they sealed their fate of being winless at home for the first time.

If Michigan wants to play us, they will. Unless they’re red/red and forced to cancel they have the option of playing us. Just like Ohio State still had the option to play Illinois. The Game is 10 days from today. If they’re serious about getting their shit together, slow their spread, the. they should be able to come back next week, get a few practices in, and play next Saturday.

 

[I'mWithDan]

But I thought they weren't going to just throw in the towel! Herbstreit may have been right.

Herbstreit and apparently everyone else doesn’t understand how this works.

A licensed medical professional oversees all the testing and reporting. So Herbstreit and anyone that subscribes to his shit take thinks a licensed medical professional, placed in a high profile position at a prestigious medical university, is going to risk their medical license to cancel a football game that doesn’t even matter?

It’s honestly one of the dumbest things any high profile college media member has said. He’s been texting too much with Dabo.

 

[Ohio]

Herbstreit and apparently everyone else doesn’t understand how this works.

A licensed medical professional oversees all the testing and reporting. So Herbstreit and anyone that subscribes to his shit take thinks a licensed medical professional, placed in a high profile position at a prestigious medical university, is going to risk their medical license to cancel a football game that doesn’t even matter?

It’s honestly one of the dumbest things any high profile college media member has said. He’s been texting too much with Dabo.

Are you sure you understand how this works? Because teams can essentially cancel games for whatever reason they want, provided there's any level of covid positives in their program.

There have been a number of cancellations this season despite not having enough cases to hit the threshold. Including OSU vs Illinois last week; OSU could have played that game (and even admitted it) but chose not to in an attempt to slow/stop the spread so they could play more games in the future. It was a calculated risk on OSUs part that seems like will payoff...it sucks for Illinois and isn't fair to them, but it is what it is.

It appears to me that Michigan is in a similar position to OSU last week. I don't believe they've hit the threshold requiring cancellation, but still cancelled their game this week. If they wanted to play, they could. We'll see how their cases trend over the next week but unless it spreads like wildfire in a particular position group(s), they *should* have the ability to play. The question is, will they? It will be their decision.

Personally, I don't buy into the conspiracy. If it came out that Michigan ducked "The Game" over a couple irrelevant cases, they'd get absolutely destroyed in recruiting for it. And it would come out...lets be honest, at least half their current staff won't be at Michigan next season. Their incredible trend of losing players to the transfer portal will certainly continue as well. So, there will be lots of people no longer with the program that will have nothing to lose by sharing what happened. I can't imagine Michigan would be willing to risk that just to avoid another loss in a lost season for the program. It's not like they're saving themselves for anything else this season.

Also, I'm not a big Herbie fan but there's dumber shit said on that network on a daily basis.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Are you sure you understand how this works? Because teams can essentially cancel games for whatever reason they want, provided there's any level of covid positives in their program.

There have been a number of cancellations this season despite not having enough cases to hit the threshold. Including OSU vs Illinois last week; OSU could have played that game (and even admitted it) but chose not to in an attempt to slow/stop the spread so they could play more games in the future. It was a calculated risk on OSUs part that seems like will payoff...it sucks for Illinois and isn't fair to them, but it is what it is.

It appears to me that Michigan is in a similar position to OSU last week. I don't believe they've hit the threshold requiring cancellation, but still cancelled their game this week. If they wanted to play, they could. We'll see how their cases trend over the next week but unless it spreads like wildfire in a particular position group(s), they *should* have the ability to play. The question is, will they? It will be their decision.

Personally, I don't buy into the conspiracy. If it came out that Michigan ducked "The Game" over a couple irrelevant cases, they'd get absolutely destroyed in recruiting for it. And it would come out...lets be honest, at least half their current staff won't be at Michigan next season. Their incredible trend of losing players to the transfer portal will certainly continue as well. So, there will be lots of people no longer with the program that will have nothing to lose by sharing what happened. I can't imagine Michigan would be willing to risk that just to avoid another loss in a lost season for the program. It's not like they're saving themselves for anything else this season.

Also, I'm not a big Herbie fan but there's dumber shit said on that network on a daily basis.

Yes. And they have a medical professional administering and performing those tests. Herbstreit was clearly insinuating that they might "find" some test results for OSU week. He knows exactly what he was saying, regardless of how he backtracks.

There's just absolutely nothing Michigan gains from it. Internally, it is terrible. Externally it is terrible. In the long term it is terrible. It doesn't make any logical sense at all.

If anything, they are trying to preserve the OSU game by canceling Maryland, a game that they are about 20x more likely to win.

If they didn't give a shit about "The Game", they would have plowed forward with Maryland, got half the team inevitably infected in the process and moved on to next year.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Yes. And they have a medical professional administering and performing those tests. Herbstreit was clearly insinuating that they might "find" some test results for OSU week. He knows exactly what he was saying, regardless of how he backtracks.

There's just absolutely nothing Michigan gains from it. Internally, it is terrible. Externally it is terrible. In the long term it is terrible. It doesn't make any logical sense at all.

If anything, they are trying to preserve the OSU game by canceling Maryland, a game that they are about 20x more likely to win.

If they didn't give a shit about "The Game", they would have plowed forward with Maryland, got half the team inevitably infected in the process and moved on to next year.

I think the reasoning you laid out here is solid. Playing Maryland was the cleanest, most blameless way to have an outbreak that would require cancelling OSU. Cancelling the Maryland game to get it under control was the best course for Michigan if their priority is actually playing OSU.

 

[I'mWithDan]

I think the reasoning you laid out here is solid. Playing Maryland was the cleanest, most blameless way to have an outbreak that would require cancelling OSU. Cancelling the Maryland game to get it under control was the best course for Michigan if their priority is actually playing OSU.

If there's anything Michigan has been good at, it is taking their ass kicking and moving on.

This season has been dreadful........take the L, everyone will forget about it 3 days later and figure out what you are doing moving forward.

Missing the game, even for legitimate Covid reasons, is going to be a news cycle talking point for the next 12 months (at minimum).

• Bitter former coaches claiming the team just didn't want to play
• Negative recruiting that they are quitters
• Talk about how it was the first game canceled in X years
• Michigan will be brought up every time they talk about OSU and the CFP or BTCG
• It will be talked about during the spring game, during the start of fall practices, during game broadcasts next year

It would just be a wildly stupid decision. OSU is the best team in the conference, play the game, let them move on with their season and start getting your house in order.

 

[MikeOC33]

Isn't all the bowl money shared equally by the conference?

If so, Alvarez is on point. Limited bowl games means all the teams want Ohio State in the playoffs. Especially with covid shutting down various campuses. They ALL want the bowl monies.

 

[Wulfgar1224]

I think the reasoning you laid out here is solid. Playing Maryland was the cleanest, most blameless way to have an outbreak that would require cancelling OSU. Cancelling the Maryland game to get it under control was the best course for Michigan if their priority is actually playing OSU.

I think it is a shame that Herbstreit poisoned the well. If UM does cancel the Game next week, there will always be people that say they COVID’d out. They may be having a lousy season. But, there was no need to impugn their integrity like that without evidence.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Isn't all the bowl money shared equally by the conference?

If so, Alvarez is on point. Limited bowl games means all the teams want Ohio State in the playoffs. Especially with covid shutting down various campuses. They ALL want the bowl monies.

Yes, I believe it is $6 million that goes to the conference and is then revenue shared. I'd imagine school AD's don't want to light $400k per school on fire for no reason, especially this year.

It was dumb not to make a provision based on playoff rankings. I.e. "If no other team in the division is undefeated and has met the games played qualification, a team ranked in the top 10 of the CFP rankings will go to the conference championship, regardless of number of games played."

I'm sure the argument, while misguided, was that it would encourage teams to cancel games later in the year, if unbeaten.......but it seems dumb they have essentially put themselves in a situation where they may need an emergency vote, just to avoid every conference school unnecessarily losing several hundred thousand dollars.

 

[Ohio]

 

[Ohio]

Lol Texas

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Lol Texas

That's actually pretty cool. Things like that is why he'll keep that legacy.

 

[Chris]

Lol Texas

Sooo... it’s officially not happening?

 

[MGMT]

Guy literally has nothing left to prove when it comes to college football history. He’s one of the best to ever walk a sideline so that really is cool if true. Good to see him happy and relaxed with FOX