(TL/DR: how do you handle playing time when you have returning starters and talented but unproven youth at many spots?)

I read the comments on the Hicks/Powers/linebackers story, and it made me think of the endless discussions of who should play.

There was a forum thread about whether TreVeyon Henderson should be benched for other running backs. There’s been discussion about whether some young receivers should supplant Julian Fleming. A few people have suggested Caden Curry or Kenyatta Jackson could be better than Sawyer at DE. Everybody has their favorite #2 TE behind Stover. And even though Burger King says there are 200,000 possible ways to order a Whopper, I think there might be more suggested combinations to start in the OSU secondary.

On the one hand, this is a good thing. Even at positions where we have All-Americans (Tommy Eichenberg) or five-star recruits who caught six TDs last year (Fleming), we have enough talented depth to push those guys.

On the other hand, there are people concerned that less-deserving seniors will start, that talented young guys are being unnecessarily held back, etc, etc. There was one person who, in the same post, said we don’t play our backups enough, but Larry Johnson rotates too much.

Personally my opinion is, the coaches see every minute of practice so I trust their decisions on starters … but starters should be pulled earlier in blowouts than they were last year to get backups more game-situation snaps.

Whadda ya think?