Monday Mailbag returns: all football

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

The first edition of the 2025 Monday Mailbag includes questions about Michigan and the NCAA, Van Wert and Crestview football, a preseason ranking, Crestview vs. Marion Local, and the OHSAA football playoffs. 

Q: What a joke of a penalty against Michigan. They should have been forced to forfeit all of the games they cheated in and should be made to give back the national championship trophy. Maybe it’s time to disband the NCAA? Name withheld upon request

A: I had a feeling Ohio State fans wouldn’t like the NCAA’s punishment. The only real part of the penalty that hurts is the fine, which will exceed $20 million. The show cause penalties, probation, additional one game suspension for Sherrone Moore etc. are meaningless.

Ohio State and USC fans are still fuming because of what their programs had to give up (vacated wins, etc.) after previous investigations. I’m not defending the NCAA, but when those punishments were handed down, it was a different time. The things those schools did were directly against NCAA rules at the time. Yes, the argument can be made that OSU players did nothing wrong by selling their own memorabilia for cash and tattoos because it was their property, but I’m not going to get into that now. I will say this – if this was 25-30 years ago, Michigan probably would be staring at the NCAA’s death penalty, especially given the information that was contained in the NCAA’s report.

Regardless, had the NCAA levied a postseason ban, vacated wins etc., you can bet the entire thing would have wound up in court, and the NCAA doesn’t seem to do very well in court. As it is, Michigan is appealing, which makes very little sense.

As for forfeiting or vacating wins, that doesn’t really mean anything at this point and since the national championship wasn’t handled by the NCAA (it’s run by the College Football Playoff), the NCAA couldn’t force Michigan to relinquish the title. In terms of the NCAA, that organization has quite obviously lost much of its power but even if it disbanded (it won’t), there’s still a need for a governing organization.

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel said it best – the stain of all of this is something that will be tough for the University of Michigan to overcome.

Q: After seeing Van Wert and Crestview at Friday’s scrimmage, what are your thoughts on both teams? Name withheld upon request

A: I agree with both coaches – there’s some work to be done before their respective season openers. Having said that, I think both teams will enjoy some success this season.

As I said in my preseason poll, the key for Van Wert will be improving on defense. For Crestview, there are some fairly minor things to tweak, but the Knights will be fine. I’ll have more on both teams in their respective season preview stories on Wednesday.

Q: Once again, you give Van Wert no credit. Your prediction of fifth in your preseason rankings is far too low. How about showing some support? Name withheld upon request.

A: Sometimes, it’s not just about one team, it about the other teams as well. Example – literally all WBL coaches agree that Wapakoneta is the favorite to repeat as champions and for good reason – the Redskins are loaded, again. So we should be able to agree on that.

Bath is improving by leaps and bounds under head coach Frank Russell and St. Marys Memorial is, well, St. Marys – very tough to beat. As I stated in my poll, things start to get jumbled pretty quickly when you get to the No. 4 spot.

I’d be interested to see what your predicted order of finish is – who knows, perhaps yours will be more accurate than mine. 

Q: I’m curious – how did the Crestview-Marion Local matchup in Week No. 2 come to be? Name withheld upon request

A: It’s pretty simple – both schools needed a Week No. 2 opponent, so they agreed to play. Crestview played McComb in Week No. 2 the previous two seasons, but the Panthers backed out. Marion Local played Franklin, a Division III program out of Warren County the previous two season and after losing 63-7 and 49-0, the Wildcats didn’t want any more of that. So, after examining all of their options, Crestview and Marion Local agreed to play in 2025. It’s just a one year deal. Minster comes on Crestview’s schedule next year.

Q: What are your thoughts on OHSAA reducing the playoffs to 12 teams per region? Name withheld upon request

A: I’m still surprised. Usually, when you expand any playoff it’s almost unheard of to reduce the field. Personally, I think 12 is kind of a weird number. Not all coaches like the idea of a bye if you’re one of the top four seeds, but it can be nice if you’re trying to heal up. Yes, the NCAA does 12 teams per region and I still think that’s strange.

Having said that, the playoff field shouldn’t have been expanded in the first place. There were very few calls to expand and when the OHSAA did it, they and the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association agreed to 12 teams per region, then the OHSAA made the unilateral decision to go to 16 teams. The end result was predictable – a lot of blowouts in the first and second rounds, plus an unhappy Coaches Association. Yes, there have been been exceptions – very few exceptions, including the exciting playoff run by Delphos St. John’s last year.

In the end, 12 teams is better than 16, but one can easily argue eight teams is best.

If you have a question or comment for the next Monday Mailbag, please email it to sports@thevwindependent.com. Please indicate if you want your name and town included or withheld.