Great Ten must take between integrity and commerce if reevaluating minimal requirement for title sport

Let’s cut via the COVID-19. If there might per chance be an undefeated Ohio Lisp available for the College Football Playoff to bear in thoughts on Dec. 19, the Buckeyes bear a heck of an alternative of stepping into the four-crew self-discipline.

It is how we accumulate to right here from there that issues.

Ohio Lisp vs. Michigan became canceled Tuesday; one amongst college soccer‘s most nice looking competition video games isn’t very going to be performed for the major time since World Battle I, unleashing torrents of sorrow and fountains of speculation. Even in an empty stadium, it became promising to be good theater. Especially when Ryan Day promised to “dangle 100” on the Wolverines.

But now, right here we’re but again in college athletics on the intersection of commerce and integrity. Ohio Lisp is probably going to be in the CFP regardless as prolonged as it stays undefeated, nonetheless correct to perform particular, it might per chance well perchance even be good in the occasion that they got there as Great Ten champions. The Great Ten Championship Game is Dec. 19. The CFP’s Risk Sunday is a day later.

In true faith, the Great Ten made up our minds in September to give protection to the integrity of its championship sport by requiring the participants play a minimal of six of their eight scheduled video games. The league’s athletic directors, coaches and presidents made up our minds unanimously on that point, sources told CBS Sports.

Now the athletic directors face the possibility of taking into consideration whether or not to rescind that requirement in the name of … what, exactly? Cash, for particular. Ohio Lisp would bear a smoother course to the playoff and a payday for the Great Ten by winning the convention title.

In a single more rate of it being the most strange one year ever, the Michigan AD in actuality advocated for the Buckeyes going in with out taking part in six video games. “I could per chance be originate — and I judge the convention might per chance be originate — to having a dialogue about whether or not or not we can bear to perform changes,” Warde Manuel acknowledged.

That became potentially a preview into a Wednesday morning Great Ten name where the topic will practically assuredly be talked about. At stake is the $6 million every playoff crew receives. Currently lacking is the cash the Great Ten would bear obtained from Fox for televising Buckeyes vs. Wolverines.

You might per chance well gaze which diagram that dialogue is probably going to be headed.

“No one has ever performed collegiate sports activities for the length of the heart of a virus,” Great Ten commissioner Kevin Warren acknowledged.

That is a reference to the many boundaries the game’s stakeholders bear fought via to accumulate so far. Digested one more diagram, or not it is a ask of whether or not the video games can bear to were performed.

But faced with the possibility of its simplest crew lacking the CFP, Great Ten officers bear a in actuality valuable choice to perform. There might per chance be not one of these thing as a doubt the Buckeyes are true adequate. But in the future, teams must play video games and create their diagram in. Easiest three teams in the CFP Rankings bear performed fewer video games than Ohio Lisp’s five. The very best ranked in that community is USC at 15th.

The Buckeyes might per chance be going head-to-head for a CFP at-mountainous quandary with No. 5 Texas A&M (7-1) and No. 7 Cincinnati (8-0). With Ohio Lisp in the mix as a Great Ten champion, that conversation might per chance be muted.

But what enact you advise Indiana avid gamers who might per chance be in the Great Ten title sport if the league stuck to its normal choice? The Hoosiers will be East champions if Ohio Lisp would not qualify. The Buckeyes also beat them head-to-head.

Don’t try to perform sense of it. When the stakeholders made up our minds to play via a virus, they made up our minds to speed a shotgun offense first and demand questions later.

So does the Great Ten cut its hold (financial) throat or trade its rules? Hi there, the ACC already did it, giving Notre Dame and Clemson per week off earlier than the ACC Championship Game. The SEC refused to enact the identical for Alabama and Florida.

What’s the worthy deal?

Nothing while you happen to is probably going to be Ohio Lisp. Something while you happen to is probably going to be one amongst those directors who voted in true faith for the integrity of the Great Ten title sport three months ago. The actual fact that Manuel became one amongst them perchance affords the acknowledge.

Via CFP riches, Ohio Lisp and Michigan being in agreement ought to not be a surprise.