Could Ohio State QB Kyle McCord possibly have known what he signed up for?

Jessica A. Johnson is a senior lecturer in Ohio State Lima’s English department. She is a frequent Dispatch contributor. Smojc.jj@gmail.com, @JjSmojc

The last few days of college football have been mind-boggling to say the least.

First, the snubbing of Florida State by the College Football Playoff committee after their ACC conference championship win against Louisville was a shattering blow to a team that went undefeated this season.

I will come back to that. But first let's talk about Ohio.

While Florida State fans continue to blast the CFP committee, Buckeye fans also had shocking news to digest on Monday with Kyle McCord announcing that he is entering the transfer portal.

Downright shady: Committee snubbing unbeaten Florida State makes a mockery of College Football Playoff

McCord’s announcement actually saddened me when thinking about the current state of college football because the pressure to win and compete for championships is at an all-time high with conference television contracts and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for players.

The spotlight is huge and demanding, and some kids need more time to adjust.

More time to develop as a starter is something McCord really did not have due to how college football is structured today.

His play was not consistent throughout the season, although he did have great games against Notre Dame and Michigan State.

Do college athletes really know 'what they signed up for'?

But our loss against Michigan brought the harshest criticism and hateful vitriol on social media because it eliminated us from the Big Ten championship game, which sealed our fate in being left out of the playoffs this year.

The grass is not always greener: Why Buckeye fans should think twice before calling for Ryan Day's head over Michigan loss

Many fans often say that athletes know “what they signed up for” when coming to a powerhouse program like Ohio State; however, in the midst of all the high expectations to be in the national championship conversation every season, I think that many often forget that these players are college kids navigating their lives through all of the difficulties and challenges they face in the scrutiny of the public eye.

No one expressed this better than OSU star running back TreVeyon Henderson, who posted on X that the sacrifices and hard work McCord put into this season were a testament to our former QB1’s toughness.

Henderson’s final words of encouragement to McCord were “God has a great plan for you brotha.”

Henderson often refers to “God’s plans” in his posts, and in McCord’s case, he is definitely on a detour from the path he first envisioned for his college football journey.

I pray that McCord finds success at his next school, and as a Buckeye fan I’m sorry that he did not have more time here to pursue his dreams. Unfortunately, in a similar manner like FSU, McCord did not always pass the eye test on the field, and in this fierce win-at-all-costs era of college football, there just wasn’t enough time for him in Columbus.

What about Florida State, College Football Playoff committee?

It was the first time since the inception of the CFP that an undefeated Power 5 conference champion has been left out, and the decision to place one-loss SEC champ Alabama in the fourth spot is so controversial that politicians are getting involved.

In a letter sent to CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan, Florida Senator Rick Scott called for “full transparency” regarding the reasoning for denying FSU an opportunity to compete for a national title.

The consensus among sports analysts for why the Seminoles are currently in the fifth spot of the CFP rankings is that they did not pass the eye test in their 16-6 victory over Louisville.

I also read several comments on social media that FSU’s third string quarterback needed to pull “a Cardale Jones” against the Cardinals, referring to Jones leading the Buckeyes to a dominant 59-0 thrashing of the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2014 Big Ten conference championship game.

That resounding win ushered Ohio State into the inaugural season of the CFP to become its first national champion.

It’s pretty obvious that the CFP committee believed FSU would get blown out in the first round due to the injury of their star quarterback Jordan Travis, and this would not bode well for television viewing.

Jessica A. Johnson is a senior lecturer in Ohio State Lima’s English department. She is a frequent Dispatch contributor. Smojc.jj@gmail.com, @JjSmojc

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kyle McCord's transfer from OSU shows pressures of college football