With the Big Ten, and by proxy Ohio State, canceling the fall season and hinting toward spring football, there are now more questions than answers. We will probably hear more of the coming months, but the questions remain and must be asked. This also applies to the Pac-12 and any other conference that cancels.
With regards to Ohio State, however, the first question that arises is how does this impact eligibility, especially if other conferences play. Baron Browning is a senior and if spring ball doesn’t go forward, the decision on eligibility needs to be sooner than later. Browning was expected to increase his draft stock this season. Between the seniors and graduate players, eligibility is a real concern.
Back to Browning, how this impacts his draft status remains to be seen. Sping football would force him to decide to play or to get ready for the combine and the draft. However, not playing when other conferences are, could certainly hurt his draft position. I use Browning as an example, but really you can replace this with any of several names.
Opinion: Big Ten jumping the gun by canceling the season, displays lack of leadership https://t.co/20zDV7faEp
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) August 11, 2020
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So we know this will impact players, in development, draft stock, eligibility, etc. But the impact on the College Football Playoff is another question. Without other conferences playing, those that do play will have what many will view as a footnoted championship. Sure, the school and fans might, but realistically not having all of the teams and conferences waters it down. If some teams play in the spring would there be two championship games? Who knows.
At this point, there are a lot of questions surrounding the decision to postpone the season. It goes beyond the simple “will they or won’t they.” There is talk of teams trying to play in other conferences, so we will wait to see on that. Regardless, the questions are plenty.
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