Saturday Blitz
Fansided

College football: 25 biggest what-ifs of the 2010s

By Hans Themistode

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Defensive end Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 29-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Defensive end Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 29-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
22 of 26
Next
Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

College football: 2010s biggest what-ifs: 5. Jameis Winston forced to sit out

Jameis Winston was on top of the college football world back in 2013. As a freshman, no one in the country was quite as dynamic and electrifying as him on the field.

The numbers Winston put up were outrageous. He threw for 4,057 yards, completed 66.9% of his passes and threw 40 touchdowns against only 10 picks. Winston ended his year as the best player in all of college football and easily took home the Heisman Trophy.

The Florida State Seminoles ultimately rolled through the season and capped off their perfect 14-0 year with a National Championship against Auburn. But while Winston is mostly lauded for what he was able to accomplish that year, what if he wasn’t able to take the field for a number of games?

Standing at 6’4 and weighing approximately 250 pounds, Winston was big and strong enough to take the hits that came his way on a nightly basis. However, a pending investigation almost saw him sidelined indefinitely.

After being accused of forcibly raping a Florida State University student, Winston’s time on the field appeared to be in doubt. An investigation into the claims took place. The totality of the school’s investigation took approximately four weeks. During that time, Winston was allowed to play and was later cleared of any wrongdoing. The two would ultimately settle their difference several years later.

What if FSU took a more aggressive approach? What if they decided to put Winston on the sidelines until the investigation had run its course?

There’s still a high possibility that FSU would have gone undefeated in that four week time frame. Their opponents were Florida, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Idaho. All, with the exception of Syracuse, finished their season with a losing record. Still, without their Heisman winning quarterback, anything could’ve happened. A loss to any of those previously mentioned teams would have sent FSU out of the title picture and Winston would have likely lost out on winning the Heisman as well.

Home/College Football News