Baker Mayfield steals the spotlight, even as he misses media appearances

Dan Wolken, USA TODAY Sports Published 1:38 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2017 | Updated 9:39 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2017

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LOS ANGELES -- Bowl weeks are, by design, supposed to be drama-free events. Days are structured almost to the minute, a mix of game preparation, typically dull media availabilities and fun local traditions like the Lawry’s Beef Bowl, where players see who can eat the most prime rib.

Even during the run-up to a high-stakes game like the College Football Playoff, an eyebrow rarely gets raised unless something deviates from the script — which it almost never does.

But that changed here Friday morning when Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield did not attend a previously scheduled media availability for Sooners’ offensive players, an absence attributed to an illness by a school spokesman.

Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner and a player who typically relishes the spotlight, has now missed every public appearance, including an arrival press conference Wednesday at Disneyland. While there’s no reason to suspect that Mayfield’s status for the semifinals is in doubt — he has continued to practice this week and was seen on the field during the team’s media viewing window Friday — the vague nature of the illness, the fact it has now gone on for three days and the preprogrammed answers about it from Oklahoma coaches and players have left enough of a void to be filled with inference and speculation.

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“I’m not allowed to speak on it,” Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown said. “You’ll have to ask coach (Lincoln) Riley. I don’t know.”

Asked if there was reason to worry about Mayfield, center Erick Wren said, “You can talk to Coach Riley about that tomorrow.”

And co-offensive coordinator Cale Gundy said, “That’s up to Lincoln,” three times to a series of questions about what Mayfield has been doing this week.

Maybe it’s as simple and innocent as a lingering cold or flu, and they simply want Mayfield to spend as much time resting as possible before Monday. But if that’s the case, why not just say that? Why the cloak-and-dagger act? Why leave room for any speculation at all?

Given the lack of clarity, Mayfield’s status now becomes the No. 1 topic of conversation leading up to the game, particularly if he opts out of the Rose Bowl’s official media day on Saturday.

“It was weird not having him here because he's always here,” Oklahoma tight end Mark Andrews said. “But he's not dying or anything.”

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Well, that’s promising.

It’s almost inconceivable that Mayfield, who threw for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns this season, would miss the biggest moment of his college career. But he’s also one the most polarizing players in college football, given his penchant for trash talk, an incident last spring in which he was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest and some sideline antics this season at Kansas in which he was seen jawing with fans and taunting with a lewd gesture.

When news filtered out that he had missed yet another media availability without Oklahoma giving specifics, conspiracy theories ran wild on social media. And while it’s one thing to later say he’s not feeling well, there’s a fairly wide gap between a head cold and a significant illness that could impact his play.

“He may be under the weather, but a guy like this, you expect him to be at his best,” Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said.

Another potential theory is that Oklahoma is keeping Mayfield out of the spotlight to avoid saying something that would generate unnecessary controversy in the lead-up to a big game.

“This is the first time I've heard he's been sick,” Georgia safety J.R. Reed said. “Maybe he's faking it. I'd love to go against that guy. Maybe he'll just come out game time.”

But on the other hand, Mayfield’s personality is pretty well-established at this point, and his ability to get under opponents’ skin is something that has worked in his favor more often than not.

Plus, he did pop up on Twitter on Thursday night to fire back at former NFL offensive lineman and ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, who called the Heisman a “garbage award.”

“He’s a competitor regardless of what’s wrong with him,” said Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, who added that he enjoyed getting to know Mayfield on the college football awards circuit this month. “He’s a first-class guy. I’m sure he’ll be in that game. You can’t focus on (his antics). At the end of the day, your mouth don’t do anything.”

The semi-drama led a number of reporters to actually attend Oklahoma’s 15-minute open practice window in Carson, Calif., something that almost never generates any news. This time, though, you had to at least check with your own two eyes whether the most important player in the game was actually on the field and to make sure he wasn’t vomiting between reps or something like that.

Alas, Mayfield looked pretty normal, though he did briefly huddle with some team trainers while drinking a purple Gatorade in between drills. What does that mean? What were they talking about? What happened when everybody left and the team could go back to practicing in secrecy?

Apparently, we’ll have to ask Riley about that.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) celebrates after the game against the USC Trojans in the 2017 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports

Baker Mayfield steals the spotlight, even as he misses media appearances

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