The Ohio State Buckeyes are officially headed to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Washington.
It’s a lot less certain whether one of their defensive standouts will be playing that day.
Sunday afternoon, redshirt junior defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones was asked whether he planned to play in the game and said just, “We’ll see.”
Jones has been a star in the middle of the line for the Buckeyes this season, recording 8.5 sacks on the year.
He has also scored a pair of touchdowns. One was an interception return in the win over TCU, the other was a fumble recovery at Michigan State.
Jones has widely been projected as a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, with some mock drafts having him go as high as No. 5 overall.
If he does choose to sit out, this would be the second straight season with a Buckeye defensive star sitting out a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Cornerback Denzel Ward chose not to play in the Cotton Bowl last season, and then went 4th overall to the Cleveland Browns.
The news is much better for another potential OSU first round pick, quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Sunday afternoon, he was asked whether he had thought about skipping the Rose Bowl.
“Nah, I’m playing in the game,” Haskins said.
Junior defensive end Nick Bosa already left the team earlier in the year to rehab an abdominal injury and prepare for the NFL Draft.
Something needs to change here.
I am perfectly fine with players leaving for the NFL prior to exhausting all college eligibility. However, walking out prior to the end of a season is unpalatable. Whether they forgo the bowl or leave the program following the bowl, there must be some consequence.
Jim Tressel would allow former players to use the Ohio State football facilities unless they’d obtained their degree or were working to obtain their degree. I think Meyer needs to do something similar.
One idea: if you leave the program prior to the completion of a season, you cannot use school facilities. The downside is, I know Meyer likes having NFL players wandering around the facility.
Another idea: if you leave the program prior to the completion of a season, you cannot return to events for former captains.
How about: if you leave the program. . . .you are not qualified for a buckeye tree in buckeye grove and are not eligible for the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame.
. . .none are perfect. . .just brain storming here. . .
So a 5th round pick doesn’t want to play in the Rose Bowl?
Jones would only be a 5th rd pick if there were only 6 teams in the league.
James-You spent the entire season bashing the Buckeyes is everyway possible and then downgrade the committee for keeping them out of the playoffs. You can’t have it both ways. Either they were good enough to make the playoffs and your bashing was wrong or they were’t good enough and you slammed the committee. Bad teams do not make the playoffs. Which is it?
Of course I can. I spent the entire season, and BEFORE fall camp bashing useless coaches.
This team was good enough “by default” to have been in over Notre Dame, OU, ans that useless slug, Georgia. There’s exactly zero doubt that Dwayne would light up all 3 of those teams. The Buckeye defense would give up a ton of points and yards to OU and Georgia, but they wouldn’t be enough. Ohio State would outscore both of them by 2 or 3 TD’s. Notre Dame would be finished in the first quarter. The Buckeyes would beat them by scores more than they beat The Whore up north.
The answer is both. Bad teams SHOULDN’T make the playoffs, unless they’re being measured by teams just as bad, or worse.
The playoff committee DOES suck. They prove bias every year, and they should absolutely refrain from having a spokesman trot out to the SEC Network (ESPN) and blather out their retarded and lying puke. They use zero metrics to offset their personal bias. Now you get to hear this from a rewash of what I said way back in 2013 when we learned of a CFB BS playoff. 1. It will be rigged for the SEC. (Put a check by that). 2. Their ranking would reflect an optical bias above everything else (Check) 3. Deserving teams would be passed over based on a perception driven by the SEC Network (ESPN) (Another check). 4. It would be 100% politics. (Check) 5. I’m going to scream this one out. WINNING A CONFERENCE TITLE WILL QUICKLY AMOUNT TO EXACTLY NOTHING. (Check). 6. The game of college football would be utterly ruined. I’m torn on putting the check on this one just yet. HOWEVER. 1 thing is absolutely certain. This mentally retarded idea of a playoff would utterly destroy the traditions and history that made Div. 1A football the greatest sport ever. The fun of the game pitting great athlete’s against each other has been completely marginalized in favor of political gerrymandering.
3 things are GUARANTEED in this life.
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Politicians will CERTAINLY ruin everything after they fugue out a way to steal the people blind.
If he doesn’t play, he shouldn’t be allowed to go to the Bowl. Save the spot for someone who would actually contribute. What’s good for the goose…
This is where I’m at. If he’s not playing he should say so now and not take any reps away from players that want ant will be there. No way I would let him pull a Ward and wait till kick off to say I’m not playing.
The reason that OSU is not in the playoffs this year is not because of their 12-1 record it’s because of perception. It was perceived that OSU was not as good as Ok or Geo because of how they played on the field. Any game that you lose or come close to losing helps with the narrative that the SEC is superior.
All games have meaning, there is no such thing as a meaningless Bowl game. Any out of conference game you play is important for the program as a whole. Lose and next years committee will be saying “look how they did during bowl season, the B1G just isn’t very good.
I understand why players would sit with so much money involved but to me, it will always be a selfish act and shows just how much they really care about the team.
Yes James Mills you understand it.
O ya the phoney evil officials that did everything they could to stop the Bucks from winning. Yes go pro my boys go pro. Cause if the stripes want to screw you y’all at least get a nice pay day.
Really, a 1st round pick. I thought of him more of rounds 5-7
I got banned from that BS site 11w for asking this exact same question. Never again will I go there with their trash mods
He gone. No “we’ll see”. Meaningless game. That being said this should mean 0 reps in bowl practice. This is just long term for the young guns.
as i always told my students – use sports, don’t let sports use you. if Dremont plays good, if doesn’t good. this is OSU. we will go on. it will give other players quality playing time. Tyreke smith and Friday will be fine. don’t sweat it.
I wouldn’t be surprised OR upset if EVERY graduate, or every player with a remote possibility to be drafted, to opt out of playing in what is a useless game.
Go get paid…………..the playoff committee and the worthless politicians of the NCAA are…………..simply return the same off and backhanded disrespect your coach and the politicians have shown to you. A coach who won’t go to the mat to even at least make his displeasure with the process known, and a political body who merely USES your skills to enrich themselves, don’t deserve to see you play one more time.