Because 2021 (and 2020) have been horrible for all of us, and do I have personal stories I wish I could share about this effing disaster of a year, I am worried that the Rose Bowl will be snatched out of our hands because of this crap virus. Minor bowls are dropping like flies.
I hope that OSU and Utah are fully vaccinated, staying away from family during this holiday season, and Utah has put a dome over the whole team to keep them healthy.
I am just not reading any good news about this variant with hospitals filled with patients across the country.
We need to sacrifice something to the football gods. And I’m not sure a bucket of KFC is going to cut it.
I can’t imagine that the game would get cancelled. I think the worst case scenario would be an empty or near empty stadium. But I doubt that even happens. Enjoy the game.
I’m not terribly worried about the game being cancelled or fans being blocked.
I’m very worried about a COVID outbreak on either team that causes them to lose key players for the game or not have enough to play. Especially with the team headed to Disneyland.
I hope OSU and Utah go about their business carefully and as they see fit. If there is a game to watch I will be quite pleased, but to hope people will avoid their family, to invest myself into their medical decisions in hopes of that game happening, that’s bizarre.
Utes just appeared in a parade at Disneyland. Must have been a contractual obligation. I can’t imagine Whitt agreeing to it any other way.
Need prayers, good vibes, positive thoughts that they all stay healthy.
Love seeing the pics from Disneyland (even though there is some risk), but some have Utah logo’d gaitors (single layer) which haven’t been accepted as good ‘masks’ for quite a while. Just adds to the nervousness but they were outside more. Looked like it was raining, so hopefully crowd was a little smaller.
As I’ve thought about this more, it feels that the teams dropping out of these minor bowls (TAMU, Boston College, Virginia, Miami, Boise St., etc.) have more going on than JUST covid issues. They got a couple extra practices and were good.
TAMU had a lot of injuries + some NFL opt outs + some transfer portal and then covid put them over the top (and they didn’t want a 5th loss).
BC probably was more affected by covid - they could have gone to a bowl last year but opted out being a tough season.
Virginia has a coaching change so has a lot of transfers and less leadership at the top to weather covid cases.
Miami also has a coaching change so between transfers, opt outs, a few injuries, some covid was a food excuse to bail on El Paso.
Who knows with Boise St. but it was a small payout so they got some extra practices in and called it good on a 7-5 season.
There’s also a reason that the opponents are also just calling it a season for the most part (SMU, Est Carolina, Memphis, etc.). They got some practices in and the hassle of changing logistics for a minor bowl weren’t worth it. Memphis was already in Hawai’i, so they weren’t going to travel again. WF and WSU still wanted to play in their ‘mid-level’ bowl and things worked out to get another team.
What I’m saying is that we don’t have any NFL opt outs for the game. We generally don’t have too many injuries (to key players). We could, knock on wood, weather a few covid protocol players if necessary. But it’d take a whole lot for us to not field a team. Ohio St. has the few notable hold outs (but Olave is in town just in case?) but unless there is a team breakout, they should be ready.
4 days. Stay healthy enough for 4 days. Teams are in town. They are out and about (instead of monitoring a ‘situation’ as far as we know). I saw somewhere that vaccinated players aren’t being tested unless they show symptoms? Or is there a screen test for all before the game?
Looks to me like teams are deciding to cancel because they don’t want to play in these obscure bowls. Nobody is saying anyone can’t play. Texas A&M wouldn’t cancel if it were where Alabama is or in the Sugar Bowl. Notice the teams that are canceling are the ones who are disappointed to be playing the bowl. Texas A&M, Miami, Boise, UCLA.
Probably the only reason Auburn didn’t cancel the game today was that it was in Birmingham. And look who won. Auburn would cancel if it could turn back the clock. This seems to be another version of the disappointed team usually loses the bowl.
All this tells me is there are too many bowl games. They need to get rid of 70 percent of the bowls.
I’m sure they may be disappointed but why would they travel and expend so much money just to cancel at the last minute ? Sorry, but not buying your argument.
When you have so many bowl games that a ■■■■ ton of teams that should be at home practicing to prepare for next season are having an end of season party in Boca, you have too damned many bowl games.
Many schools, the ones who have to pay to send their teams to a bowl, will thank you. Remember, the PAC 12 is one of very few conferences that pays the travel costs for their teams to participate in Bowl games. It wouldn’t surprise me if tOSU loses money playing in the Rose Bowl against us. My guess is BYU got bled going to Shreveport to lose to UAB. Now, with the kids opting out of playing these games, they have gone from inconsequential to totally meaningless. Only the CFP matters, and at 4 teams, it’s a damned beauty pageant that will crown a MNC.
It’s time to end the era of Oprah Bowl Season in FBS and get the damned 16-team playoff set up. Use the actual traditional bowl venues for the early games. Use the Grandaddy for the final.
And everyone else stays the ■■■■ at home and gets ready for next season.
DTR on UCLA doesn’t agree with your theory. If it’s the coaches or administrators making these decisions based on disappointment rather than actual protocols, then that is just sad for the players. But why would the coaches and administrators let the team travel to the site and incur all that expense?
