Ok Nut thought I would shed some light on this situation. I want you to know I am more towards your side on the RULE. I dont like the Rule either and the RULE needs modified in some way shape or form. You can't blame coaches, schools, or programs for following the RULE though. I will give you a scenario and I would like your intake on how you would handle it since you talked about your team having to play a team every year that opts down:
Scenario- You are coaching a football team and the discussion is for you to opt down. According to you, you would never do that. You chose not to play! Lets go through that process I would like your thoughts on each step:
1) You have to have talks with school board and administration that you are not opting down what so ever, you wont play before you opt down. They might laugh you out of the room or worse.
2) Some how you make it through that meeting, now you have to tell your players. How do you go about telling them we wont opt down, We play No Matter What! Not sure kids would enjoy that either. Probably lose some kids, kids you dont want to go.
3) If somehow you make it through that now you have to explain to those kids parents your logic for what you are doing. Don't need to say much here, wont get very far .
4) Get by that have to explain to the towns people, who enjoy coming to watch their own home town boys play under the lights on Fridays nights when at home. Most elderly look forward to that during this time. Hope your get away car is fast.
5) Now explain to alumni that return to games to watch why you made your decision.
Ill give you the idea you are going to actually play in your class you are suppose to. OK, your count is 52 but you got out 25. 7 are Freshman. In first 2 weeks of practice 3 players are out for the year to injury. You hardly have enough for 11 on 11. That's not talking other kids being gone because they are ill (NOT COVID) others gone because of other activities they are in, which does happen. Now you might have 19-20 kids at practice, hard to replicate what your opponent does when you dont have the numbers to practice truly. Yes, some teams make it work but others can not. May not think it but depth does make a difference with teams. Now you are playing freshman against others who are more developed than them, that sure makes them want to continue playing. Havent even mentioned JV yet, cant afford it in order to play on Friday. Doesnt help you develop players to build a program. Now this group is half way through and the injury bug has found your team and you have to make that decision to forfeit a game. Now you have to explain to everyone from above that decision. Round 12 coming in hot. Now others that are on this board are screaming why didnt they opt down? How dare they forfeit games, that's not fair. See where this is going.
Now I understand that you dont like the RULE, either do I but we dont know every programs situation. I have been apart of a team that forfeited games, let me tell you explaining why we had to a thousand times to parents community members and others around us is not fun. The ripple effect that teams have when they dont play in small towns is very large. Crazy how a town feels when you dont hear the game or see the lights on during the season.
All I am saying is not every program is the same and each one is in a different situation. Again dont like the RULE either but going down and having the name of your program across the chest and the lights on are a heck of lot better than not having that at all. Just want you to keep that in mind when these programs have to make these very difficult decision, and they are that.