COLUMBUS, Ohio – Buckeye head football coach Urban Meyer won a victory before his team ever took the field in the national championship game next Monday.
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The College Football Playoff announced Tuesday that it will help pay for the parents and guardians of Ohio State and Oregon players to travel to the game in North Texas.
“That just kind of made my day,” Meyer said when he learned of the development in the middle of a press conference.
The NCAA granted a waiver to the playoff to provide a reimbursement of up to $1,250 per parent or guardian that will cover hotel accommodations, travel and meals.
Meyer was the first coach to advocate helping the families of players with expenses so they could travel to the playoff games and said he thinks college sports officials are “employees of the student athletes” and should take players into consideration more often when they make plan and set policies.
“Student athletes don’t work for us,” he said. “Take them away and how’s our job? Take away the student athletes and who are you coaching, who are you AD’ing, who are you ‘commissioner’ing for?”
The Buckeyes (13-1) take on Oregon (13-1) in the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday (8:30 p.m./ESPN).
The NCAA also announced it will provide a similar reimbursement to the families of athletes who compete in the men’s and women’s basketball Final Fours.
The NCAA will pay up to $3,000 total in travel, hotel and meal expenses for family members of student-athletes who compete in the Final Four. The NCAA will pay up to $4,000 for each of the student-athletes who compete in championship games.
During 30 minutes of practice open to reporters, the Buckeyes stretched and went through their paces — just like a typical workout inside the Woody Hayes facility. A four-inch snowfall overnight forced everyone indoors.
Dontre Wilson, out the final six games with a broken foot, sat on the sidelines in a compression boot. Still, he’s probable, along with tight end Jeff Heuerman (leg).