FanPost

What Happens Now?

ESPN is now reporting that there will be no decision on whether or not to charge Jameis Winston for more than two weeks. In other words, not until after the ACC Championship Game is over and the final polls come out.

Major Issues

There are several issues to consider here. First, the FSU rules call for an immediate suspension of any player charged with a felony. That means Winston wouldn't be able to play in the National Championship Game or any bowl. On the other hand, the FSU rules have a loophole that allows for the suspension to be waived for extraordinary circumstances as determined by the administration. So after the state finally makes a decision, we may have to wait for FSU to make their decision. That could mean we don't know if Winston will be playing in the postseason until mid-December or later. The final BCS poll comes out well before that, though.

The computer polls won't change regardless of the decisions because they can only consider what has happened on the field already. The human voters are put in a tough position, though. Do you vote as if the issue doesn't exist? This seemed to be what the voters did back in 1998 when FSU stayed #2 in the polls and the BCS despite star QB Chris Weinke being hurt and Marcus Outzen having to fill in. On the other hand, this time there is another undefeated team (for now, at least) with a healthy starting QB that may well be better than FSU without Winston (especially if Clemson doesn't beat SC Saturday).

Certainly a player could get hurt in bowl practice and disrupt the team just as much as Winston getting suspended. Nobody would expect the BCS to change which team plays in the title game then. Maybe a better question is how you vote if you know he won't play.

Personally, I expect voters to largely ignore the issue with a few people punishing FSU for coddling a potential rapist. While some voters may wish for a re-vote if the decision comes down to suspend him not long after the polls come out, nothing will come of it. AL will just be gifted an easier game than usual.

The one possible outcome would be for the AP poll to consider voting for OSU depending on how the bowl games go. If OSU is dominant and AL isn't against a weakened FSU team, some voters may consider voting for OSU. It won't be enough to change anything, but it might be noticeable.

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