POLL: 83 percent of OSU fans say Rudolph and Washington should play in bowl game

On Wednesday morning, I posed a question to our Twitter followers: Should Mason Rudolph and James Washington sit out the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft?

When I asked this, I wasn’t asking our followers what they wanted the duo to do. I was asking them what they should do.

The results were, well, not surprising.

First off, I’m not insinuating anything by asking this question. I haven’t heard anything regarding the topic, but I do think it’s is a pretty relevant and appropriate question. We saw Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey sit out last year. Just a few days ago, Texas OL Connor Williams announced he’d be foregoing the bowl game as well.

This is a growing trend in college football, and one that I can’t quite decide which side to fall on.

On one hand, I think the athletes owe it to their teammates to ride it out to the end. Especially for Rudolph and Washington. They’ve had such a storied career. It would be a pretty anticlimactic and disappointing ending to two pretty great careers.

On the other, can you really blame these other athletes for deciding to sit out, and others following suit?

They’ve spent their entire career avoiding money. Hell, you can’t take an extra helping pasta from a buffet without the NCAA breathing down your neck. Now, they’re one game away from making their NFL dreams come true. They’re also one game and one offseason away from a huge payday. I can’t really say I blame them for being hesitant to play. Go get that money.

These are just a few of my thoughts on the issue. What say you? Let me know in the comments below.