It’s rivalry week in college football. Then it’s Championship
weekend next week followed by the College Football Playoff announcement. One
week after that the Heisman Trophy is handed out. The heavy favorite for
college football’s most prestigious award has been in the news this week for
the wrong reasons.
Everyone knows what happened by now. Oklahoma quarterback
Baker Mayfield was spotted on the sidelines last week making an obscene gesture
towards the Kansas players during the Sooners’ blowout victory in Lawrence. The
ensuing response from Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley was to bench Mayfield
for the start of this weekend’s regular season finale at home against West
Virginia. Both Riley and Mayfield were emotional when discussing the discipline
this week.
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| Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports |
It wasn’t the first instance Mayfield made headlines for a
celebration this season. After a major non-conference victory early in the year
at Ohio State, the senior planted the Oklahoma flag at midfield in Columbus. Of course, if you’re having the season
Mayfield is, your actions are always going to be under a microscope. So, Kansas
captains refusing to shake hands with Mayfield at the coin toss last week
becomes a much smaller story. But, the bigger question here is why are Mayfield’s
actions such a big story in the first place? If Ohio State didn’t want an
Oklahoma flag at the 50-yard line, maybe it should have limited Mayfield to
less than 386 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Mayfield tossed three more
touchdowns last week against the Jayhawks.
Obviously, it’s easier said than done to contain the best
player in college football. But, why get so offended by a celebration or two if
he’s playing like the best player in college football on that given day? Furthermore,
what is Riley really accomplishing by not starting Mayfield this week? Everyone
knows Mayfield is going to likely come in on Oklahoma’s second offensive
series. The transgressions were very different, but in some ways this is
reminiscent of when Texas A&M suspended Johnny Manziel for the first half
of the 2013 season opener against Rice. Manziel threw eight passes in the
second half, three went for touchdowns and the Aggies won 52-31.
The Sooners almost certainly have to win tomorrow and in
next week’s Big 12 Championship game to make the College Football Playoff.
Riley’s not going to leave his best player on the sidelines for too long
tomorrow. Oklahoma is favored by more than three touchdowns and Mayfield’s
probably going to officially seal the deal on the Heisman during the next eight
days. Some have speculated that these celebration antics will hurt Mayfield’s NFL
draft stock. Coaches and scouts can nitpick all they want, but nobody can argue
with what Mayfield’s done on the football field this year. We’re all better off
if we just enjoy the last few games of Mayfield’s college career, rather than
getting caught up in something as trivial as Mayfield’s celebrations. And if
Mayfield wants to enjoy himself as the book closes on what’s been an
outstanding career at Oklahoma, what’s the issue with that? Riley’s discipline
serves almost no purpose and the entire situation has been blown out of proportion.
Mayfield is two wins away from getting to the college football playoff for the
second time in three years and locking up the Heisman. He’s had a special
career in Norman and that’s what everyone should remember.
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