Question will be if Ohio State can't play, which I think is like a 1% chance, what would the committee do with a 5-0 Buckeye squad? What will the Big 10 do, will they call Indiana and ask them to substitute for Ohio State? The Pac 12 did that when Washington couldn't play and they called Oregon to step in, but that happened early enough to give Oregon a shot at getting ready for the game. I would have to wonder if it would be fair to ask IU to play with little or no prep? I have a feeling that Ohio State will show up to play even if it's only 50 scholarship players and walk-ons.
What rules need to be changed? Asking for a friend... Not about OSU (well, okay, them, too) but UO? What needs to change to keep UO and USC out? And uw?
Here's a link to a story on that Don...but still just reports rumors. From what happened with the MSU game Ohio State didn't release any information on how many players they were down till 1 hour before gametime at Michigan State. They expect the same thing this weekend, if they have enough guys they are going to go and they aren't going to give Northwestern any edge by letting them know they are only showing up with the min number of players (or however many players they have available). Also this article says the Big 10 might change their rules for the CFP so that a player doesn't have to sit 21 days. Report: Ohio State Football Dealing with More Positive CoVID-19 Cases
Pac12 Championship is tonight. As far as the Big 10 and the Pac 12 as well, when they both opted out of the season early while the ACC/B12/SEC decided to play and made the issue "player safety" there was no way they could decide to come back later and use the same rules as those conferences, so both came up with more stringent rules which fit their narrative that they were concerned for player safety. Given what is known now and going into another phase of play (CFP and Bowls) it would seem reasonable that they adjust their rules to allow for great chance that players/teams can play. While players have gotten the virus, I don't think any of the players have fortunately gotten seriously ill or required hospitalization. So the rules/protocols have worked fairly well, certainly teams have missed games, but in general the season has played out pretty well with teams losing game but also playing a lot of games. So far only Washington has had to cancel their championship game, I thought it would be a few more truthfully. Bowls and CFP of course are still on the line.
I spoke too soon, the Sun Belt Conference Championship game has been cancelled and Louisiana and Coastal Carolina have been declared co-champions.
Results of recent COVID testing for the Northwestern game will not be released until 10:00 A.M tomorrow morning.
Terry, I could agree with you that the rules could be adjusted as we learned more about the virus, but it seems that the rules get adjusted just in time to benefit certain teams, not as new facts are discovered about the virus.
Looks like the Irish found the stud RB they were missing from this class. We just took him from Mich St.
A lot of criticism of the Big 10 which I consider unwarranted. The easiest thing in the world to do is to criticize after the fact. You always win (in your own mind). You never lose. I treat it with more than a few grains of salt because it generally comes from folks with no skin in the game. This Covid virus is without precedent in our lifetimes and has blindsided everyone from individual families (312,000+ dead as of this post) to athletic programs and conferences at all levels, including pro. Re: college football, each conference is making the best decisions it can with the information it has, but the goalposts keep moving. However this college football season turns out, we'll look back on 2020 as historically out of whack on all levels. In the meantime, take your shots at the Big 10, boys. The conference is strong and resilient. It will survive your criticism.
You have some points Sid, but we were critical of this system when the BIG announced it. You could see that 21 day requirement was going to kill some teams, but they only now decide to waive it? Sorry... that's purely for the good of their image, and not a reexamining of a virus that while "worse" than it's family members is not new as far as how it's life cycle works. I'm not worried about the playoff for my team. We aren't getting in unless Ohio St loses, and I'm fine with that. I'm more thinking of how pissed I'd be if I was one of the schools who got jobbed by that rule, and now see it possibly being waived... doesn't exactly send a good message.
Notre Dame secured another huge commitment today when Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph Regional four-star running back Audric Estime committed to play ball for the Fighting Irish. The 6-1, 215-pounder from the class of 2021 de-committed from Michigan State and found a home in South Bend.
"Big-bodied back with college-ready size. Owns the build and functional athleticism to serve as high-volume, every-down back at the P5 level. Showed noticeably improved home run-hitting ability in senior season. Production improved every year from sophomore to junior to senior campaigns. Impressive 10.5 yards per carry in 2020. A load when accelerating downhill. Hole-puncher with dangerous one-cut ability. Generally patient runner with good vision. Does not search for unnecessary contact but finishes runs when required. Capable pass-catcher out of the backfield in relatively limited reps. As is typical for bigger backs, gears down to redirect. Shows some lateral wiggle at the second level but not likely to string together moves in the open field vs. high-major competition. Play speed is good but lacks verified context in combine or track setting. Not overworked but worth noting 550 touches in 29 games sophomore through senior seasons. One of the better backs nationally in the 2021 class. Looks like a high-floor prospect who could contribute early and start multiple years in a power conference with long-term potential to play beyond college" This is the type of back we've been looking for!
More flippin going on: Notre Dame landed a big, surprise recruit on the third day of the early signing period, as College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy safety Khari Gee flipped his commitment from LSU and signed with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Had offers from LSU, Clemson etc. This class went from good to excellent.