ElevenWarriors (Official Thread)

[kn1f3party]

Good 11W article:

It is, thanks for sharing.

I’ll put it here because I’m not sure it warrants a new thread but…

Others have mentioned the need for depth going in to ‘24 due to the possibility of a longer season with the 12 team playoff. That, coupled with the normalization of amateurism through NIL and the TP are starting to warp the rosters. I think there’s something to both Judkins and Henderson wanting to split carries and preserve their bodies for the NFL. I think players are mature in their understanding they don’t have to be THE feature back to go pro. More than years past at least.

All that to say I think the top flight programs are at an inflection point where recruiting and roster management are going to start looking more like it’s done in the NFL. I’ll probably boycott the sport if the day comes where we bench our starters for tCUN because we’ve locked up a bye in the playoff and the conference championship bid.

 

[Buckeye86]

I’ll probably boycott the sport if the day comes where we bench our starters for tCUN because we’ve locked up a bye in the playoff and the conference championship bid.

They need to move The Game to the first game of the year to avoid the “bench your starters” scenario.

It also avoids the scenario of playing in the last game of the year, in the conference championship, and in the twelve team playoff three weeks in a row (or at least two in a row and quickly for the third).

It will make the off-season anticipation off the charts, and it gives both teams months to prepare.

It will no doubt be messier football, but it will also be full of surprises as both teams don’t have film on the other.

Although I recognize this is a massive change that most people will not like at first, it is the lesser of two evils compared to resting starters and possibly playing multiple weeks in a row, in my opinion.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

 

[Zurp]

They need to move The Game to the first game of the year to avoid the “bench your starters” scenario.

First, I think that idea should be considered. If there's a situation where Ohio State takes The Game off, that's really, really bad. Or, conversely, if Ohio State doesn't take The Game off, and it hurts them down the road (maybe an injury, or they have to play against a good team that DID take a week off), that's also really bad. So moving it to September is an intriguing idea.
However, going undefeated, and then taking The Game off just to coast into the conference championship game isn't going to guarantee you a first-round bye. Case in point: Ohio State went undefeated until The Game, lost it, and was ranked outside the top 4 this year. If you have the CCG locked up, you might be able to win your way back into the top 4, but can you risk it at that point?
I'm with BN27. Don't touch it. Just because the playoffs are diminishing the importance of The Game doesn't mean we should further diminish it to the level of the game against Penn State.