If you think college football is a cynical business, then this is quintessential college football, 2020 edition.
![Screenshot_2020-08-07 C C Machine on Twitter HOWEVER, the Missouri Valley Conference is allowing its schools to play non-co[...]](https://blutarsky.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/screenshot_2020-08-07-c-c-machine-on-twitter-however-the-missouri-valley-conference-is-allowing-its-schools-to-play-non-co....png?w=500)
Yep, you read that correctly: the MVC is shutting down conference play for 2020, but if its member schools want to hit the road to pick up that sweet guarantee fee from a P5 foe, more power to ’em.
A one-game season for a paycheck. It doesn’t get more academic experience than that.
Get The Picture 
I agree with you that’s it’s definitely cynical and there’s a lot of bad here, but as someone who still has a little bit of a bleeding heart left in my chest, I understand what the power of an education can do for the players on MVC football teams, most of whom would never have that chance if they didn’t play football. So there’s good there, too.
If them playing a game against Oklahoma is the difference in keeping their programs alive and those opportunities in place versus them closing down forever, then I’m sorry, I say play on MVC teams. This is one area where the good outweighs the bad. And I’m not blind to the bad, I’m really not. But the good and what that means for disadvantaged kids to get a college education, I never want those opportunities to disappear.
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I’m sure that will be of the utmost consolation to the Oklahoma kids who get to suit up and play against a program that doesn’t have their school’s resources to maintain player safety.
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I don’t disagree with your point or the reality of it. I just think the good would outweigh the bad.
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The good would be giving the players the game money – all of it.
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I don’t understand, are you saying you’re only there for the short term good for the players today while denying hundreds of players in the future who would never get the chance to go to college otherwise the opportunity at a college education? What we do in this world is never just for us, it’s for others who come after, too. I honestly believe that.
If Missouri State and the other teams of the MVC fold this year, never to return, the tragedy isn’t that they’ll never play football again, the tragedy are all those scholarships every year that would’ve been earned by high school students with no way otherwise to better themselves through higher education disappear forever. The MVC isn’t big time football. These kids aren’t going to the NFL. Many of them just want a chance at a better life. I want those chances kept alive.
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Especially at the FCS level and lower, the romanticism of the amateur is still alive and well (and I don’t mean that in a negative light). I totally agree with you. These young men especially their seniors will never wear a football uniform again. More importantly, those guys have a chance to get a college degree that gives them a chance to improve their life and the lives of the people around them.
If college football between the FBS and D3 (no scholarships) collapses, that’s a lot of education opportunities that will no longer exist. Is that good for society or not?
I get the concern for the Oklahoma players who are going through rigorous testing. The Big 12 could have announced a conference-only schedule and had each school play one conference opponent home-and-home in the same year, but they decided to eat a bunch of cupcakes and club some baby seals instead.
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Well, I feel a little bit better today with this response, and I’m not lying. Sometimes I feel like a voice crying in the wilderness when it comes to the benefits of CFB and other sports to the most economically disadvantaged in our society and how they can offer the type of generational life-changing opportunities those kids wouldn’t get otherwise.
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So here I am again for my question of many months as to what happens to the small schools. I guess this is another piece of the pie.
The question really is how do you convince the small school players to even want to play this game? Its probably not happening regardless.
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Maybe the appeal really is for the future. For those who come after. For the Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshman on this year’s team who may not have scholarships or a team at all next year.
You make that appeal, backed up by risk assessment based on available data as opposed to anecdotes, and sure, you give them the choice. I would like to think with all of that, most would choose to play.
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You really think most will chose to play one game this season. In front of a stadium with few fans, and against a P5 foe that will crush them?
Just how many college football players have you known? Specifically ones with “no other options for a college education” as you’ve styled them? I’ve known a few. And they loved playing football for the thrill of the game itself and “blowing up” opponents in front of fans. I don’t think any of them cared about doing anything for the guys who were “coming after.”
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I don’t know if you played football at all, but it’s a very unpleasant activity in general. I can’t imagine practicing for months only to go get your skull cracked by a national contender so other people can get a paycheck. Just one game for the year. No fans, maybe no family, just showing up at Oklahoma, getting whipped for no particularly good reason and going home.
I do in my heart of hearts support your description of a amateur athlete a scholar athlete. I also just don’t know that the smaller schools really need to have a football program at all if surviving means getting paid to lose by power 5 schools
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I had friends who were on the scout team at Illinois and they did it for one reason, the scholarship. They hated the rest of it. Now the guys who played in games, or at least had a chance to, that was a different story.
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LOL. Their conference has cancelled all conference games. I think the risk assessment has been made already.
Maybe they should ask Clay Travis to weigh in.
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Maybe they should ask Dan Wolken. 🤷🏻♂️
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Couldn’t agree more Senator. The conference has assessed the health risk and determined that playing football makes no sense. On the other hand, if your school feels that they simply cannot afford to leave money on the table then health be damned. As a player, I know I would tell where them where they could shove their scholarship. Any school that chooses to play one of these games has absolutely no concern for their athletes whatsoever. The players are nothing more than sacrificial lambs being led to slaughter. The ‘do it for the program’ argument is farcical at best.
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Senator, I see you closed the comments on the 6:45 post. Was that the first casualty of the new rules? Was it because the back and forth BS got to be too much? Maybe when someone posts a comment others are allowed only two responses to that comment. The back and forth does get a little old.
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Second. I shut a thread down yesterday, too.
When I sense that all the commenters have to offer is recycled thoughts that we’ve seen plenty of before, it’s time to move on.
WP doesn’t let me limit commenting in the way you ask. I’m hoping certain folks get the message and restrain their behavior accordingly. We’ll see.
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You could always update the post.
“Thanks to (x), this comment section has been closed.”
You’re assuming the instigators understand they’re the ones responsible.
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You’re assuming you’re not one of them.
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Or us, if I’m honest. Which I try to be.
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If I’m one of them, I would assume you’d let me know. Haven’t ever before.
My two contributions to today’s shut down down thread was noting that UT inflicted both Clay and Finebaum on us, then noting that Clay’s opinions are entirely based on audience research, not Covid data. They might overlap Covid data, but that would be an accident of audience pandering.
And seriously, if that’s going to get a thread shut down, let me know.
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Obviously on the first, the ed note wasn’t noted.
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Jesus this is stupid. I’m assuming since the season is cancelled so it practice. Why even field your regular football team? I wish Missouri State would make a giant mockery of it. Put some random kids who want to go and let them suit up. Then they can stand aside on every place and Oklahoma can win 300-0. What a joke.
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Missouri State’s getting $600K to play OU. Hell, for that much, I’ll take on the Sooners all by my lonesome.
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I feel that but I want you divvy up the money it’s not that much. A quality football helmet cost like 500 bucks. Now do that times 85. Equipment uniforms training stuff everything you see on the field is probly a $150000 easy. And you got coaches salaries. Travel cost.
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Does this affect their eligibility at all? I know you can play 4 games and still RS but if someone already has and yet plays in this game – what happens?
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As mentioned several months ago, I imagine everything’s gonna be waved everywhere this year
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Huh, Missouri State used to be Southwest Missouri State University. I taught there one summer, it’s in Springfield, MO home of Bass Pro and Campbell “Humpin to Please” 66 Express trucking company.
https://images.app.goo.gl/dNm2gRBguDWHXbAv6
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And the Bammers get their way … again.
https://www.secsports.com/article/29616412/new-sec-opponents-set-revised-football-schedule
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They always do. They need to move the home office out of Alabama and to Atlanta where it belongs.
Too much Tide in the water out there in Birmingham.
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The Three-Star General has to be having a fit right now. The Vols get Texas A&M and Auburn. They could be looking at being 5-5 at best.
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I dunno… right now, I see this for Tennessee 2020:
Georgia – L
Floriduh – L
Mizzou – W
Sakerlina – W
Kentucky – L
Vandy – W
Bama – L
Arkansas – W
Auburn – L
TAMU – L
So I have Tennessee going 4-6.
This is fun. Let’s do Floriduh –
Georgia – L
Mizzou – W
Sakerlina – W
Kentucky – L
Vandy – W
Tennessee – W
LSU – L
Ole Miss – W
Arkansas – W
TAMU – L
Awww… sorry Sideshow Dan the Clown. 6-4 won’t even make your most devoted believers at Alligator Alley happy!
Now let’s do us. Here’s Georgia –
Floriduh – W
Mizzou – W
Sakerlina – W
Kentucky – W
Vandy – W
Tennessee – W
Bama – L (guaranteed first game of the year)
Auburn – W
Arkansas – W
Missy State – W
So that’s 9-1 with a rematch with an undefeated Bama in Atlanta for the SEC Title Game. I like our chances in that game. Very much.
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Georgia 11-0, all SEC, history made.
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I like your confidence, but I think there’s no way Georgia-Alabama isn’t the first game of the year, and I just don’t think we’ll have it together by then.
I’ll happily pick us to beat them mid December.
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I don’t think the season happens really. But they’re gonna try like heck.
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And yes, I have Kentucky finishing 2nd in the East this year. Getting Wilson back will be HUGE.
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