I'm almost happy about this.
I feel like mid-1990's tOSU student me is cursing me for saying this but I'd rather prepare for 2022 than win the RoseBowl. Some say it is still "The Rose Bowl" but it isn't. In the 1990's the Rose Bowl was the highest aspiration for a Big11Ten team. Now it is just the best consolation prize for an also-ran. Who cares whether or not the Buckeyes win it?
Seriously, if you (any tOSU fan) had a choice between the following:
- All current players play in the Rose Bowl and tOSU blows out Utah but loses to Notre Dame in Columbus on September 3, 2022, or
- A bunch of Seniors opt out of the Rose Bowl and tOSU loses but beats Notre Dame in Columbus on September 3, 2002.
Which would you choose?
*NOTE: I'm not saying that tOSU WOULD win the RB with all players playing or that they would/wouldn't beat ND based on whether or not they did, it is purely a hypothetical. My point, however, is that the more seniors that opt out of the RB the more the game will help to prepare the 2022 team.
The older I get and the more CFB I watch, the less convinced I am of the efficacy of this. I mean, I'm sure there's a non-zero bit of preparation, but I'm not sure it's enough to be notable.
It's a pretty common belief across CFB and sports that talent+PT=down the road success, with more PT at whatever stage more quickly moving someone along that curve.
There's probably a selection bias in my memory, but it seems like the number of "played early, was rough, ended up benefitting in a notable way down the line" stories isn't all that long, and the number of "played early, team took lumps with him, plateaued at just OK/decent" stories feels much longer. And plenty of successful guys are going in either when they earn the time or when the chance simply opens up. (I think Florida sold last year's bowl as "the start of next season" and ...)
And the "play the exciting guy now, it'll payoff" narrative seems really, really appealing. The thing you want now (seeing the player that inspires hope) is also going to lead to a longterm hope payout. It's something fans basically everywhere ask for. Now, with OSU, it's not a choice, and it's unknown, so there's no right or wrong. But I guess this is a long way of saying I'm skeptical that losing young this week means anything more than the slightest better chance of winning in the future (though I think OSU is gonna run ND regardless of if all those guys were there and played like they were supposed to).
EDIT: I didn't even answer the question. I think winning matters. Do the thing that makes the most sense to win the game in front of you. That approach will likely lead to more wins down the road.