Mailbox: Big Ten, SEC should break off on their own; Browns should trade Deshaun Watson
Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.
On college football
Dear sports editor: Just this past spring, the SEC commissioner suggested having an SEC-only playoff. With both the SEC and Big Ten at 16 teams and the CFP expiring in a few years, they should form their own playoff with the top four teams in each conference. The SEC championship could be played in the Sugar Bowl and the Big Ten championship could be played in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 with the champions of each conference facing each other the second Monday night in January.
That is seven playoff games, which I think would add lot of money for both conferences and they would not have to share it with anyone else. There would only be a maximum of 15 games for the final two teams (addresses the concerns of too many games for the athletes). The first four playoff games could be played in the minor bowls that are played before Christmas, so they should not interfere with final exams. The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl become permanent semifinal playoff sites. Recruits will want to play for teams in the two conferences, helping the lower-level schools in each conference get higher-rated recruits. The remaining conferences/schools could form their own playoff or they can just wither on the vine.
Andy Pifer, Reynoldsburg
To Andy: I'm not sure the Clemsons, Oregons and Florida States of the world agree with you on turning college football's focus to two conferences. And 15 games is a lot to ask of those young bodies.
To the Sports Editor: Gregg Doyel's piece regarding the Big Ten's attempted murder seems almost delusional. Either the reports of both USC and UCLA doing the requests to join are fictitious or Mr. Doyle has other sources deep within his fantasy world. I use that adjective to describe his obvious wish for the once innocence of college athletics with football in the spotlight. The once sacrosanct five-letter word "honor" is now replaced with the new five-letter word "money." Piles and piles of it. Crusading cries to compensate the poor players who were living in their shadow of multimillionaire coaches had led to the emergence of NIL, which, in my opinion, will, unless harnessed, destroy collage football as we knew it and finally put the nail into the coffin of the oxymoron "student athlete."
Marvin Thomas, Blacklick
To the editor: The Big Ten hasn’t been the Big Ten since Penn State made it the Big 11. Why not call it “THE Big?” OSU already holds rights to “THE,” and the new name will cover however many more teams are added.
Bill Cotton, Blacklick
To Bill: Would Ohio State then sue THE Big for copyright infringement?
To the sports editor: With the ever increasing number of schools belonging to the Big Ten, the name “Big Ten” has become somewhat meaningless. I have a suggestion: How about “Big X Conference?"
The X would still preserve the history of 10 schools since X is 10 in Roman numerals. The X can also be a mathematic variable, which would accommodate any number of schools.
Russell Suskind, Newark
On Ryan Day
To the sports editor: Coach Day’s pay is a great example of the pressures of hiring today. You want a coach to win every game, not cheat, say the right things and beat Michigan. If it were easy then it wouldn’t cost $9.5 million. Congrats to Ryan Day.
Kent Homoelle
On Deshaun Watson
To Brian: I wonder if the Browns ownership and front office are feeling buyer's remorse with Deshaun Watson. In their excitement, did they forget to think of the consequences of suspension? Can they stuff their pride and admit their mistake to fans and primarily, to Baker Mayfield? The NFL is not going to ignore the screams of the public vs. the Texas court's ruling on Watson's case. It would be a huge tear and even bigger scar.
The best solution would be to try to trade Watson in a multi-player deal, bite the bullet and move on. Because even if the Browns miss the playoffs, they can start over at season's end. They should be wiser by then, despite any and all feelings of embarrassment. Letting this eyesore linger is detrimental. It must be dealt with soon.
Larry Cheek, Dublin
To Larry: Trading Watson would be quite complicated, and comical. First, what team, besides the Browns, would take on such a headache? And if they found a buyer, the Browns would still get stuck for much of the $230 million they guaranteed Watson. Yes, it's another Browns mess.
On Brittney Griner
To the sports editor: Disappointed to see how much space you dedicated to Biden’s attempt to free Brittney Griner from a Russian prison and his time on the telephone with her wife. Someone who kneels when our national anthem is played does not need this
amount of attention. The president should be concentrating on important issues such as our border crisis, inflation and crime. You should be covering sports, as your readers expect. I saw no coverage of the cornhole tournament, the 12-and-under pickleball event nor the toddler soccer championships. Your sports coverage is deteriorating by the day.
Earl
To Earl: I won't speak for how Biden spends his time, but I can say that Griner is indeed a sports story as she's a superstar basketball player involved in an international controversy. I also think our coverage of her has been minimal. Perhaps too little. And are there actually 12-and-under pickleball tournaments?
On participation trophies
To Brian: Participation trophies have gotten a bad rap, and I'd like people to rethink that. While I would agree that any who make no appreciable effort deserve no recognition, those of lesser skill who do try to compete only to lose to loaded teams in an intramural-level league do deserve to be acknowledged for still stepping into the arena and trying. I remember a kid I coached who had four hits all year but had three in one game, including the walk-off game-winner capping off a come-from-behind win. Imagine how that kid felt that night because he kept on trying. I told kids to not afraid to fail and that trying and failing is not failure; failure to try is.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
To Dennis: As a parent, I never had a problem with participation trophies. I had a problem with big participation trophies. Showing up should be recognized, but everyone who shows up shouldn't go home looking like they just won the Stanley Cup.
More from The Mailbox
Ohio State coach Ryan Day should pay players himself, or give his cash to charity
Ryan Day just an average coach in SEC; and what car did Woody Hayes really drive?
An apology to Ohio State coach Ryan Day, and kudos to him for taking the cash
Why does Ryan Day need that much money? And what would Woody Hayes think?
Debate continues over Ryan Day's salary as Ohio State Buckeyes coach
Defending Jack Nicklaus, and wondering why Ryan Day makes so much money
Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher should know cheating in college football is not new
Strike 3 on foul ball will speed up baseball; and an appreciation of Bob Lanier
Want to speed up baseball? How about 'Ball three — take your base'?
An appreciation for three-legged dogs; and are college football rosters too big?
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Big Ten, SEC should break off to determine football champ
