RAPID REACTION: Big Ten ADs to change rules, allow Ohio State to play in the Big Ten Championship.

The game between the Michigan Wolverines and 5-0 Ohio State Buckeyes was canceled due to COVID-19 within the Michigan program. It had the secondary—and humorous—effect of making the Buckeyes ineligible for the Big Ten Championship, with only 5 games played and a threshold of 6 needed to participate.

The Indiana Hoosiers would have met the already-Big Ten West champion Northwestern Wildcats for the title.

Today, surprising no one...

Reactions and Venting

MNW: Congrats to the Ohio State Buckeyes on their impending Big Ten Championship (though man, I would’ve taken IU over Northwestern after that showing at wisconsin—even if Indiana’s ineligible due to their own COVID outbreak, just pass the torch down the row; I don’t care if it’s MSU, Maryland, or goddamn Rutgers).

Next time there’s a global pandemic, just admit that we’re playing so the richest programs can go make the conference money. Deal? Can we just come out of this openly acknowledging, Big Ten athletics directors, that this was always about making the conference money by pushing Ohio State no matter what?

They’re Texas without the fucking Longhorn Network.

WhiteSpeedReceiver: It’s not about Ohio State, it’s about a team that’s a contender for the playoffs. Everything in 2020 has been by the seat of our pants anyway, so just like the season this doesn’t really matter anyway.

And also, it’s more proof that wisconsin doesn’t matter.

Andrew K: It’s absolute horseshit. There’s no other program in the conference that the rest of the league would bend over backwards for in this fashion and you’ll never convince me otherwise.

If there are any other rules that are only rules until we don’t feel like following them, it would be nice if the conference would make those known so the rest of us could fail to prevent COVID outbreaks and still avoid the consequences, for example.

Stewmonkey13: It’s the most bullshittiest of bullshit. It’s a awful horrible, and completely and totally expected. Get fucked, Ohio State.

Also OSU ducking Iowa, afraid of getting 55-24’d again.

LincolnParkWildcat: Get Fucked, Ohio State. Get Fucked, 2020.

BigRedTwice: Is it surprising? No. Is it bullshit? Yes. But according to this guy, the only “real” championships are those with Ohio State in them, so I guess there was no choice. (Sarcasm x 1000)

MNW: I have no idea what the fuck this concussed moron is jabbering about. Makes no goddamn difference to me if Ohio State’s in the title game or not—if Northwestern wins the game, they’re Big Ten champions, and you bet your ass I’m gonna be insufferable about it whether they beat Ohio State or Rutgers.

So who’s responsible?

pkloa: If you’re not getting a good chuckle at the supposed adults in charge of the Big Ten, then you just don’t have a good sense of humor.

I know this is probably just 2020 talking, but I would be happy with a deemphasis of football at Penn State. Some months ago, this community helped me pick an Ivy League team to root for. I think I’d prefer rooting for PSU and Army against the Ivy League.

Dead Read: On the list of horrible things this year, this one is fairly low. It is illuminating, though—anything for cash.

The veneer of the amateur collegiate ideal may have finally worn through. Time to pay the players.

BoilerBettor:

Stew: The conference put in place standards that basically guaranteed it a team had spread they couldn’t make the championship game. OSU fucked around, wasn’t serious, and consequently had team spread. They can get fucked.

Jesse Collins: The Big Ten initially built its Covid plan on simple principles. Protect the health, safety, and well being of student athletes. This was eventually amended to protect the health, safety and well-being of non-rev student athletes and make money.

It is now just make money.

For all the bullshit Nebraska caused from a whining POV, can we at least also call out the awfulness of how the Big Ten has handled this across the board? Nobody looks good right now.

babaoreally: OSU ducks Illinois and gets rewarded with an invite to the conference championship. What a joke. Why did the conference make a minimum number of games rule of they will not enforce it?

They could have just not had a minimum game rule.

Or they could have just said they could invite whoever they wanted to the championship game to begin with.

Another dumb, self-inflicted black eye for conference leadership.