Getty Image
Through four weeks, the Kent State Golden Flashes have played the hardest college football schedule in the country.
Kent State is 0-4, with back-to-back road losses to top-10 opponents Tennesse and Penn State by a combined score of 127-0.
But things got even worse on Saturday when both starting quarterback Devin Kargman and backup JD Sherrod suffered season-ending injuries against the Nittany Lions.
Kargman underwent hip surgery after a brutal hit from Penn State star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, while Sherrod tore his achilles while trying to escape pressure and scramble.
Third-string quarterback Tommy Ulatowski, who also took several big hits in the contest, will start Kent State’s MAC opener against Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
But the injuries raise the question of whether or not small-school teams should continue to play “buy games” in the current era of college football.
The early-season games usually feature a power program such as Alabama, Texas, or in this case, Tennessee and Penn State paying significantly smaller schools like Kent State a large amount of money to come and play.
For Kent State, the paychecks help fund the program. And for the power programs, it often serves as a sort of preseason. And in some scenarios, the team getting paid even wins the game!
Small School Coaches Are Aware Of Injury Concerns In Buy Games
More often than not, however, these games result in a blowout victory for the school cutting the check.
Earlier this season, Kentucky paid $950,000 to Southern Miss for a 31-0 shutout victory in the season opener. But the game was stopped after 35 minutes due to several factors, including a weather delay.
Afterward, Southern Miss coach Will Hall had this to say:
“We were extremely worried about injuries, that was our number one concern. Nutrition was a concern. But none of that tops getting that check. And to get that check, we have to play that game.”
So coaches know what they’re walking into. Players often know what they’re walking into. At what point is it just irresponsible for programs to keep doing this?
Hopefully and Kargman and Sherrod make full recoveries. But this is an issue we probably need to address going forward.