2022 Rose Bowl Was a Great Game

It was a great game.  The final score was 48-45. Ohio State rallied to win on a last-minute field goal beating Utah.  Lots of action lots of scoring and I had no dog in the fight.  I do have a soft spot for Big Ten football having grown up in the mid-west and getting coverage of all the schools in the conference because that's what the Chicago Tribune did.

Not as a complaint but there are now fourteen schools in the Big Ten. The additions of Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, and Maryland have done nothing but split the conference into East and West Divisions and added a playoff game for the conference championship.  It's all about the money, TV, and The Rose Bowl which gives a Big Ten School a chance to shine even if it doesn't make it to the playoffs.

It would be a pleasant surprise if everyone played in their respective bowl games as a fitting end to their college careers but for an expanding number of players, the post season bowl games are a threat to their careers and potential earning powers as a professional athlete.  They are opting out of what they are seeing as a meaningless game at best.

A scholarship is not insignificant.  A good football team is important for enrollment of new male students and football games are huge social events for students, alumni and folks who follow the team and businesses in college towns often need the shot in the arm that fans bring to the town.  Miami sells a lot of hotel rooms and meals to folks that travel with the teams to the Orange Bowl.

Coaches are paid to perform their magic filling the stadiums, recruiting the best of the best, or leaving town if they get a better offer, or getting fired if they don't win. Just about anyone can be replaced.

Football is brutal, you can be forgiven if you think it is a blood sport.  Players should also be forgiven if they have come to a similar understanding and some kids who are anxious to show off their abilities will be happy to get the chance to be the next man up

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