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  • Will they or won't they?

  • Ohio State?

  • Can they play their last two regular season games?

  • You know the story by now, therefore, no.

  • They need to get to six games to qualify for the Big 10 Championship.

  • They've missed two of their last three because of coronavirus concerns.

  • Here's their coach, and so you know they're focuses on Michigan State winning this game and, you know, little short handed.

  • But it will say a lot about our program if we can rally this week after, you know, having another disappointing weekend last weekend and come, come on the road and go get this win.

  • All right, let me bring Heather and Paul into the conversation.

  • Are regulars here?

  • And if they do play this game, it will be without Ryan Day.

  • That is part of what will be shorthanded.

  • What do we How do we stand right now?

  • Heather?

  • What?

  • When do we know exactly what their situation is?

  • Well, typically, on game day greeny, they release a player of availability chart.

  • I would expect they do the same thing if they don't do that today and the player availability chart remember, it includes injuries.

  • It includes anybody else who might be out.

  • They're not going to say specifically if players are missing because of co vid 19.

  • They have tried all along to protect the privacy of the student athletes and haven't revealed the scope of this, so we don't know exactly how shorthanded they might be.

  • But they are going to test again around 8 p.m. This evening to make sure they get on a clean plain so that the point is, they're gonna play if they reasonably can.

  • Paul Finebaum, I will ask you, Is it enough for them to win out as currently scheduled?

  • They play Michigan State in Michigan.

  • Is it enough for them just to win these games?

  • Or do they need style points?

  • They need style points right now.

  • Greeny.

  • I mean, they're depending on a 13 person committee to determine whether they play for the national championship or not.

  • And it was interesting.

  • On Tuesday night, the committee chairman talked about how he did.

  • They did not put Texas A and M with the number four position.

  • Why, Because they looked average against the defending national champion.

  • L s U.

  • So right, Right now it's all about style points, getting these games in, but but looking good in the process because all eyes are on the Buckeyes.

  • What's your sense, Heather?

  • No one covers that committee more closer than you do.

  • Obviously, some of the people on it change every year.

  • So it's not necessarily consistent.

  • Is your sense that the eye test is going to be critical for Ohio State?

  • Yes, the eye test matters this year, more than any other season, Gary Barta has said it.

  • It's one of the things they're using to help determine between these vastly unbalanced resumes, and Paul nailed it.

  • Look, when you look at Ohio stating that win against Indiana, which seems like forever ago, Justin Fields threw three interceptions, the past defense allowed almost 500 yards.

  • You're going to finish top four in the country.

  • Those things have to improve and Texas A and M, the selection committee is liking their defense.

  • They're keeping an eye on their offense, but they absolutely considered the Aggies for that number four spot this week, So the Buckeyes need to do everything they can to leave.

  • No doubt there are top 14 Paul.

  • How do you look ahead to next week?

  • Well, Michigan has problems, as we've heard with the A P reporting with 12 positive, so it's hard to know until Monday.

  • But if they if Ohio State cannot play Michigan, the Big 10 has to figure out a way.

  • They have the luxury of the schedule.

  • They could mix and match.

  • They need to be judicious and fair, and they need the support of the other AIDS.

  • But Ohio State can't miss next weekend.

  • That would be disastrous for their playoff hopes.

  • Yeah, I mean, at this point this year, I think a little bit of flexibility has proved to be very important.

  • Certainly in other conferences in the Big 10 may need to do it.

  • Meanwhile, I wanna produce, um, sneaky big news here because I came across the story, had to read it three times to make sure that I was completely understanding what I think is the magnitude of it.

  • The Night commission, which is a group of collegiate athletic leaders including presidents and former aides, has officially endorsed that the FBS what most of us will forever.

  • Noah's Division one college football split away from the CIA.

  • This is extremely significant.

  • It seems to me, Heather, what can you tell us about the importance of that decision?

  • Well, it's important because it's a recommendation that will be brought to the attention of NC Double A president Mark Emmert.

  • But it's also important to remember that the night commission doesn't actually have the power to change things.

  • And I reported last month a little bit about this survey.

  • So, you know, the survey was done in June.

  • It was, er, July.

  • It was a 15 minutes survey online, and there was over 300 participants of it.

  • My question is how many of the power five conference commissioners and university presidents agree with this and one of the questions on their greenie?

  • And we've talked about this before.

  • We should there be a commissioner of college football, and I could tell you in that survey on Lee, half only five of 10 FBS commissioners answered.

  • Two were power 53 were group of five.

  • So when you when you bring that into a larger perspective, how Maney agree with this philosophy of breaking apart and it's also important to remember that the people who make these decisions in the Double A four college football they are college football there the athletic directors and the conference commissioners and the Football Oversight Committee.

  • They're all power five people.

  • So, no, I don't know.

  • It makes sense, but we'll see what happens and how much work there is.

  • Paul, five years from now, will they have split off from the I think they will, and they need to.

  • Greedy.

  • Uh, this is an old conversation on this program, But during the biggest crisis in collegiate sports, the president of the Double A.

  • Mark Emmert, has been in the witness protection program.

  • Nobody sees him, nobody hears from him, and it's time to end this charade.

  • And big time college football needs a commissioner or a czar or committee of its own, Not depending on the governing body.

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Will they or won't they?

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