December 9th, 2020 at 5:29 AM ^
Is there really that much difference between 4-0 and 5-0?
December 8th, 2020 at 6:30 PM ^
They are far and away the best team in the conference, the B1G made the rule, they can change it. Schools need the $$ OSU will bring in from the CFP, so let 'em play, who cares at this point. The B1G made hard and fast rules without knowing how things would play out and they look stupid already, might as well guarantee the ridiculousness and let them in.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:20 PM ^
They beat Indiana by 7 points, in Columbus, and IU had the ball at the end with a chance to tie. They’re probably the best team but their body of work really isn’t that much better than IU’s.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:24 PM ^
If Indiana plays NW for the B1G title, neither would get in the playoff. OSU is the only option for the conference to be represented. Despite all the talk about conference champions etc., they want the 4 best teams.
OSU should be forced to play Texas A&M since they have a cancelled game this weekend as well. They play on a neutral field and the winner is in.
If that happens, then Indiana should play NW for the conference championship. That would be perfect.
December 9th, 2020 at 5:35 AM ^
You're saying a 1-loss Big Ten champion, with multiple ranked wins, wouldn't get in just because they're not a big name program? I wouldn't be so sure about that - especially since there are still many other variables in motion regarding who gets the CFP nod.
December 8th, 2020 at 9:38 PM ^
Ok but by your logic then IU isn't that good cause they should actually have 2 losses as they won a very controversial game against Penn State in OT. I still think Penix was out of bounds...
December 8th, 2020 at 6:34 PM ^
"i don't think anyone should be punished by the decisions we made months (cough..years) ago"... says Manuel.
Of course you don't, Warde. Of course you don't
December 8th, 2020 at 6:35 PM ^
Yea no shit he's going to say this. Fucking any Athletic Director in his shoes is going to say this.
Let's put two and two together
1) Michigan is going to lose millions this year thanks to no fans
2) Having teams from your conference making the playoffs makes your Athletic Department more money
3) OSU is the league's best shot at the playoffs.
This isn't rocket science. He's there to manage money.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:40 PM ^
Warde managing money...LOL.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:36 PM ^
Here's my hot take:
Indiana will play NW for the B10 title.
OSU will get their sixth game in, one way or the other, on the 19th (and who knows, it might be against us), and go to the playoffs.
I think OSU would be happy in that scenario: they go to the playoffs (and maybe get to destroy Michigan after all, provided Michigan is able to go on the 19th -- fuck the meaningless crossover game), and Indiana/NW would be happy, too, because they get the chance for a Big 10 championship trophy, which is a rare item in their halls.
Do you think OSU would be happier with:
1. A Big 10 championship, no win over Michigan, and a playoff berth; or
2. No Big 10 championship, a win over Michigan, and a playoff berth?
And yeah, I realize it's not all about making OSU happy, but in this scenario, you ALSO don't cheat Indiana out of a B10 title shot -- adhering to the rules that the conference set just a short time ago.
Anyone else agree? Disagree?
December 8th, 2020 at 7:01 PM ^
I think if they don't put Indiana in the title game, the whole conference is a joke and so is any claim of any of these people to be capable of leading young men or turning them into adults.
They had all kinds of time to come up with rules. If they wanted to prevent bad faith coasting, they could've said you aren't in if you're the one cancelling your games. What they decided is that you aren't in if you don't have 6 games. They don't have 6 games. They can't be in, or there were never any rules to begin with, and then what are they doing? Just crassly chasing money. Fuck that and fuck any one of them who has ever pretended that they had a single reason other than greed for not paying the players.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:39 PM ^
No! Fuck ‘em! They signed onto the rules at the beginning of the season. Too fucking bad.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:43 PM ^
They definitely should. It’s also disappointing that so many of us are happy we aren’t playing. I would rather lose by seventy than not play.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:06 PM ^
This has been the most interesting take from all of this... I guarantee Harbaugh and all of the UM players wanted to play this week... you don't get to that level of athletics without a fiercely competitive streak.. yet many UM fans are happy the game is cancelled because it could potentially cost OSU a shot at the B1G title. I get the animosity towards OSU from UM fans.. but as a fan of college football, don't we all want to see football played?
Certainly a head-scratcher for sure.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:14 PM ^
I don’t know if that’s accurate. I don’t think any Michigan fans are happy that it prevents Ohio State from potentially winning a Big Ten championship. In the grand scheme of things, does that really matter much? Wouldn’t Ohio State much rather go to the playoffs, anyway—which they are pretty much guaranteed to do, either way?
I think most Michigan fans who are “celebrating” the cancellation, and I use that term loosely, are doing so because they would rather not see their team take a 50+ point loss.
To say that this team is depleted, demoralized, and decimated would all be understatements of the century. This would not be a competitive game by any stretch of the imagination. But hey, it still might happen. I don’t see why it shouldn’t on the 19th if Ohio State is declared ineligible to play in the Big Ten championship game, and of course Michigan is ready to go by then. You might still get your annual bloodletting after all.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:21 PM ^
No one wants to watch this Michigan team play
December 8th, 2020 at 7:34 PM ^
I have no doubt everyone in Schembechler Hall wants to play and is disappointed. We, the fans, are just tired of losing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again with the final score not even close the last few years. Michigan needs to start winning sometimes for morale to change. 3 wins since 2000 is not going to cut it. The Game has not been a close series since the '80s with a 6-4 Michigan edge and I'm sure you know the Cooper years.
In short, STOP BEATING MICHIGAN ALL THE TIME!
December 8th, 2020 at 8:58 PM ^
I'm 0-0 against Michigan, and unless OSU wants to accept a mid-thirties walk -on... looks like it's going to stay that way (shoulder shrug).
To your point though.. we all know the "likely outcome" had the game been played... but it's a rivalry.. you just never know. Just wish we could have been afforded the opportunity to discuss it before actually being played.
December 8th, 2020 at 9:58 PM ^
"you just never know"-- Dude, that's total bullshit. You guys want to demolish a rival, and that's fine, but don't pretend the motive is anything more high-minded than that.
December 9th, 2020 at 3:34 AM ^
OSU may not want a mid-30's walk on, but can you play DT? There might just be a spot for you on our team.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:45 PM ^
We are all the way to Jupiter with a broken HAL-9000 in control of the ship
December 8th, 2020 at 7:05 PM ^
Remembering that things get even weirder from that point gives one pause.
December 8th, 2020 at 6:57 PM ^
Dear Warde and all OSU Fans:
We knew the general place we would be, which is the repeated problem with all the magical thinking by all the people who justify downplaying the pandemic for one's own personal views on life or because one was pressured by society to forgo likely outcomes to risk it for the biscuit.
And now, because they put OSU game at the end of the schedule, quelle surprise, The Game is cancelled. Mais, non! The way the country is run by a lot of business first, life second people is the reason the US is filled with an erosion of spiritual, mental, and physical health. We put the Almighty Dollar over public safety and we keep shouting until the Dr. Schlissels of the word cave in to the tribe of cavemen that never made it out of the shadows.
We fucking saw this coming. We knew Michigan would look bad if The Game didn't go on, no matter that covid has shown from the beginning, "Fuck your feelings."
I've been dealing with more and more stories of hospitalized students and colleagues, so to all the OSU fans and all the folks who had magical thinking feelings--really?
- Reality
December 8th, 2020 at 7:05 PM ^
I’m wondering if the AD’s would have to vote to change the rule? If so, I bet it’s gonna be a close vote.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
shouldnt be punished by decisions months ago??? screw osu...if its ok to screw over small business owners with rules made months ago it sure as shit is ok to screw osu with em
December 8th, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
Big Ten Athletic Departments, including Michigan's, desperately need the money that would be generated from representation in the CFB Playoff.
Besides, we need to fix our own mess before worrying about anyone else right now.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:14 PM ^
I don't understand why the rules are a big deal. OSU is undefeated and beat Indiana head to head. So why shouldn't they put them in the conference championship game?
December 8th, 2020 at 8:00 PM ^
I don't understand why the rules are a big deal.
That's a position from which one cannot possibly have a reasoned conversation about why rules are important in a civilized society, and why altering them retroactively to achieve a desired outcome is problematic. FFS, haven't we had enough of that already this year?
December 9th, 2020 at 2:46 PM ^
I can't tell if this is serious or a subtle satire on Putin's inability to see why rules (like laws) should apply to all people who agree to them.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:20 PM ^
It will be funny when OSU gets blasted by Alabama
December 8th, 2020 at 8:53 PM ^
I thought the same thing in 2014.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:22 PM ^
If Florida beats Bama and Clemson beats ND, I think OSU will be left out anyway. So, let’s agree to let the rules be changed, get their hopes up and hope the above happens in championship week.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:53 PM ^
I cannot envision any possible scenario where Florida beats Alabama, however.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:28 PM ^
Hypothetical for Warde (in a world far far away)...
Michigan is 5-1 having lost to Wisconsin
Ohio State is 5-0, and Saturday's game would be for the division, winner take all.
Ohio State can't play due to outbreak.
Does he still want to adjust the game minimum?
I understand that this is a heavily loaded hypothetical, but you have to believe if it was directly affecting UM his thoughts would be different.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:47 PM ^
Rules for next year: Games are optional and results don't matter. OSU is designated the winner of all of them (even games between other teams), going 196-0 In the Big 10-FOURTEEN. Fields' incompletions also don't count.
Their players are all designated as MDs and will be compensated as such even if they spend the rest of their lives wearing Fruit of the Looms playing CounterStrike against *that one guy*.
College football is a fucking joke. Money has ruined it.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:59 PM ^
A good way to save face after essentially a consequence free forfeit
December 8th, 2020 at 8:14 PM ^
So IU gets screwed? Fuck this bullshit. They made the rules and those rules produced or will produce a couple of championship game participants. Absolute trash to change the rules post hoc to take care of these entitled assholes.
December 8th, 2020 at 9:34 PM ^
Explain how IU gets screwed...They had their chance to beat Ohio State and didn't. The point of the Conference Title is to reward the best team in the League...thats Ohio State like it or not
December 8th, 2020 at 10:06 PM ^
The point of the Conference title is to reward the team that does all of the shit that the league states is required for the conference title. Teams change throughout the season due to injuries and suspensions. Is team that wins in 30T at home really a better team than the team they beat, because switching home/away probably changes the result?
IU did exactly what the rules require them to do and OSU did not. Those are the rules everyone, including fucking OSU agreed to, so now they have to live with them. If the rules were different, maybe IU takes different safety precautions and they miss the OSU game and now their undefeated too. Or they would have been able to practice more because they would not have as many restrictions in place. Or whatever, because people and organizations could at least act as if agreeing to something, promising to follow those rules, means a goddamn thing on this cesspool of a planet.
December 9th, 2020 at 6:05 AM ^
How does IU get screwed? They met all the criteria to represent the East division in the rules set out (and agreed to by all parties) at the the beginning of the season, while osu did not.
If osu (or any other school) believed these rules were so arbitrary/objectionable, then why didn't they protest or work to have them altered at the time? Absolutely nothing that has happened in the last few months regarding the impact of covid upon the season was unforeseeable - it was actually predicted by public health officials earlier and the year and the Big Ten had this information long before they made their new rules.
Osu did beat IU head to head (by just a single TD at home when they were a 20+ pt favorite, with IU having a chance to tie at the end - so not exactly a dominant victory), so there is that. Yet, what if this were a 4-0 osu instead of a 5-0 osu (let's take away the Neb win since that was out of division)? We would probably be hearing the exact same arguments about how osu is still the "best" team and how the "arbitrary" rules were keeping them out. The point is that a line of minimum body of work had to be drawn *somewhere* - the league agreed to make that 6 games. So, for that purpose, it doesn't matter if they were 4-0 or 5 0... they don't have enough in either case.
I completely get the osu anger and, were the roles reversed and UM was in that position, we would be angry too. Yet the rational argument is still the same: you play by the rules and accept the result by the rules. It would less fair to IU to change the rules now as it is to osu to keep them out by adhering to the rules.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:19 PM ^
OSU did this to itself. Gene Smith publicly said they could have played at Illinois. Fuck 'em.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:25 PM ^
A political move to lessen the talk about Michigan chickening out of the game to screw over OSU.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:29 PM ^
Open to what ? Shit, OSU should be in the title game no matter what. Who the fuck would say otherwise ? We can’t be sniffling weenies.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:31 PM ^
Can we stop obsessing over minutia? When will we know about an extension/firing? Which assistants will be back? Will we play OSU? Will we change the rules for OSU to be in the B1G championship game? I miss the 90s when we heard what was happening after it happened. What good does it do anyone to contemplate what could happen before it happens and to spend all this time and energy dissecting hypotheticals? It doesn't change anything. Patience grasshopper.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:58 PM ^
In 1991, I found out we had the #1 recruiting class a month after it happened.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:50 PM ^
No one should be surprised to hear this. I guess the only surprise is that Harbaugh hasn’t said something similar yet.
But you know it’s all about the money, and OSU looks better to the playoff committee with a win in a conference championship game.
We are all Gators fans now.
December 8th, 2020 at 8:54 PM ^
Nice to see the Michigan AD looking out for Ohio State.
Who does the Ohio State AD think should be our next coach?
December 8th, 2020 at 9:15 PM ^
Totally interesting topic....
I'm not surprised Warde said what he said. He's arrow-straight. But it's also the difference between Michigan (at least, Michigan now) and OSU. If roles were reversed, they would do everything they could to screw Michigan. But Michigan does the "right" thing often -- it's a part of our arrogance. In other words, we crow about the fact that "WE ARE NOT THEM".
What Warde should have done is (a) showed data as to how impacted Michigan is by covid positives and contact tracing restrictions and then (b) given a cool "no comment" or "you know, I have to abstain about that" about whether or not OSU should get special treatment. This situation illustrates the difference in how each school currently views the rivalry.
It would be fun to speculate about how Bo would have handled that press conference.
As far as whether or not OSU should compete for the Big Ten championship, on the one hand we have a rule that's keeping them out -- as someone upthread said, it's a shitty rule, and should have been reworked -- and on the other hand, only one cancellation was their fault. I lean toward "it doesn't matter" since they will be picked for the CFP anyway. Do they "deserve" to be considered? Perhaps, since they did beat Indiana. Should the Big Ten change their rule? Who knows? So I'll go with no, because fuck OSU.
December 8th, 2020 at 9:40 PM ^
If ND beats Clemson, and they decide to keep OSU out...3 SEC teams in the playoff.
Manuel should be flexible with respect to this arbitrary 6 game rule made in the midst of a pandemic. OSU is clearly the best team in the B1G and no one would watch a IU vs. Northwestern game. Keep OSU out if you want the SEC to put the B1G in its rearview forever.
December 9th, 2020 at 5:49 AM ^
An undefeated osu would probably get picked for cfp regardless of whether the win the big ten or not. The issue is really about who should be in the btc game. If Indiana has won the right to represent the East per the rules agreed by all parties at the outset of the season, how is it fair to deny them that by changing the rules at the end of the season?