Participation Bowls

[TwistedHusky]

Weird that FSU lost a bowl slot because their QB was injured (unavailable) as CFB rationalized that losing important players can impact the competitiveness of a bowl team.

Then almost every team in almost every bowl, loses important players (unavailable) to opt-out or portal, impacting the competitiveness of their bowl team.

(If the FSU QB would have been perfectly healthy, then opted out - would they have lost their bowl slot?)


We have now seen at least 5 teams in bowl games this year, without their starting QBs. As well as many teams without starting DT, DE, WRs, RBs and CBs.

Is there a point to watching teams play that have nothing to do with the same teams we watched all year apart from the same uniforms?

 

[EverydayImRusselin]

The Seminoles played without their top two quarterbacks, top two running backs, top two receivers, starting tight end, three starting defensive linemen, two of three starting linebackers and three starting defensive backs.

I think this is going to happen more and more as the transfer portal becomes even more widely used.

 

[WmHBonney]

The current system will kill every bowl except the playoffs. Nobody wants to watch a shell of a team play in a meaningless bowl game.

 

[Flyingsquad23]

The bowls are suffering for many reasons. Cost of travel, some less than intriguing locations, players and coaches opting out and the non traditional conference matchups for a lot of the historical Bowls.

It’s hard to blame top of the draft for opting out but it definitely hurts a Bowl games profile and draw.

Bowl games outside the New Year’s Day traditional games have always been more about rewarding teams with trips filled with good times and gifts and an extra month of practice time for the program.

I would hope that fans of college teams are not just fans of the 5-6 star players but the 100 or so that make up the full team. They deserve some kind of payoff for their hard work.

The future looks like the Bowls will be more of a reward and preview for the next in line.

 

[Aussie Seahawk]

I know little about College football, but a longtime email friend from Dearborn, MI has a son who is an offensive lineman for the Eastern Michigan Eagles. His name is Alex Howie:

Alex Howie - Football - Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Alex Howie (68) Offensive Line - EMU: 2022: Academic All-MAC selection…Started in eight games…Recorded his first career tackles versus Arizona State University

emueagles.com

He's a graduate student now, so he's a veteran. Just wondering if anyone here has heard of him? I guess it's unlikely, as the MAC West conference is relatively moderate in rankings(?)

I've exchanged occasional emails with his dad since 1995, and just happened to notice they got walloped by South Alabama in the LendingTree Bowl, which I'd never heard of, and they had a 4-4 record, I think.

 

[Hawkinaz]

How dies Alabama get in before Florida State???? Sounds extremely crooked...

After watching the Orange Bowl ( Georgia vs Florida St) Florida St had no business in the top 4

 

[Hawkinaz]

I will watch Fiesta Bowl and the playoffs. I stream from iPad to big screen. It works great since I got Starlink.

I have had Starlink for the last 2 yrs it’s been a god send I live in a very rural area where my only other options was an Orbi/ with a sim card and Hughes I have had a few hiccups along the way but no complaints

 

[Bear-Hawk]

I have had Starlink for the last 2 yrs it’s been a god send I live in a very rural area where my only other options was an Orbi/ with a sim card and Hughes I have had a few hiccups along the way but no complaints

This is the first time I have had enough internet speed to stream anything without endless buffering.

 

[Threedee]

I know little about College football, but a longtime email friend from Dearborn, MI has a son who is an offensive lineman for the Eastern Michigan Eagles. His name is Alex Howie:

Alex Howie - Football - Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Alex Howie (68) Offensive Line - EMU: 2022: Academic All-MAC selection…Started in eight games…Recorded his first career tackles versus Arizona State University

emueagles.com

He's a graduate student now, so he's a veteran. Just wondering if anyone here has heard of him? I guess it's unlikely, as the MAC West conference is relatively moderate in rankings(?)

I've exchanged occasional emails with his dad since 1995, and just happened to notice they got walloped by South Alabama in the LendingTree Bowl, which I'd never heard of, and they had a 4-4 record, I think.

You sometimes get interest in smaller programs. A few players were drafted out of NDSU after winning the FCS four consecutive times (such as Carson Wentz). Cooper Kupp chose to play at Eastern because of his family legacy, but, he was known to be an FBS quality receiver.

 

[QWERTY]

The bowls are suffering for many reasons. Cost of travel, some less than intriguing locations, players and coaches opting out and the non traditional conference matchups for a lot of the historical Bowls.

It’s hard to blame top of the draft for opting out but it definitely hurts a Bowl games profile and draw.

Bowl games outside the New Year’s Day traditional games have always been more about rewarding teams with trips filled with good times and gifts and an extra month of practice time for the program.

I would hope that fans of college teams are not just fans of the 5-6 star players but the 100 or so that make up the full team. They deserve some kind of payoff for their hard work.

The future looks like the Bowls will be more of a reward and preview for the next in line.

Top 4 bowl's never suffer. The players, coaches hardly transfers.

#5 and below, can't help it but next season it's different.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

After watching the Orange Bowl ( Georgia vs Florida St) Florida St had no business in the top 4

There was discussion after the game at the golf course yesterday about the FSU game. IF you knew that half the great players on that team sat out for portal time and draft time, then it may change the opinion of the fan base. They had a shell of a team playing. It was like a high school team playing a College team. That is how lopsided the game was due to the portal and draft guys were. 30 players did not suit up to play.

 

[fenderbender123]

Yeah, something has to change.

For decades, players NEVER voluntarily sat out of a bowl game, even if they were projected to be a 1st round pick and playing in a lesser bowl game. It was considered unthinkable to do that to your teammates, coaches, fans, etc. This day and age, it should STILL BE considered EXTREMELY disrespectful to opt out of a bowl game, but for whatever reason so many people accept it and excuse it away..."it's just a meaningless bowl game, and he's risking SO MUCH MONEY!"

Cool, so these players care about money, and not football. Not their teammates. Not the fans who are the source of that money.

My question is this...why only sit out the bowl game? Why not the entire second half of the season? Any play can cause a year-long or career-ending injury. So why risk it then but not in the bowl game?

 

[EverydayImRusselin]

Yeah, something has to change.

For decades, players NEVER voluntarily sat out of a bowl game, even if they were projected to be a 1st round pick and playing in a lesser bowl game. It was considered unthinkable to do that to your teammates, coaches, fans, etc. This day and age, it should STILL BE considered EXTREMELY disrespectful to opt out of a bowl game, but for whatever reason so many people accept it and excuse it away..."it's just a meaningless bowl game, and he's risking SO MUCH MONEY!"

Cool, so these players care about money, and not football. Not their teammates. Not the fans who are the source of that money.

My question is this...why only sit out the bowl game? Why not the entire second half of the season? Any play can cause a year-long or career-ending injury. So why risk it then but not in the bowl game?

Well, if someone told me that I could make a couple million dollars as long as I don't hurt myself in a meaningless bowl game, I am 100% sitting out of that game.

 

[fenderbender123]

Well, if someone told me that I could make a couple million dollars as long as I don't hurt myself in a meaningless bowl game, I am 100% sitting out of that game.

You can also make a couple millions dollars as long as you don't hurt yourself the few games before that too. So make sure to sit those out, too.

What if it meant fans and teammates and coaches never forgave you for it? That anytime you posted something on social media, you'd get thousands of people calling you a quitter. It's what we need to start doing, really.

 

[Hawkinaz]

Yeah, something has to change.

For decades, players NEVER voluntarily sat out of a bowl game, even if they were projected to be a 1st round pick and playing in a lesser bowl game. It was considered unthinkable to do that to your teammates, coaches, fans, etc. This day and age, it should STILL BE considered EXTREMELY disrespectful to opt out of a bowl game, but for whatever reason so many people accept it and excuse it away..."it's just a meaningless bowl game, and he's risking SO MUCH MONEY!"

Cool, so these players care about money, and not football. Not their teammates. Not the fans who are the source of that money.

My question is this...why only sit out the bowl game? Why not the entire second half of the season? Any play can cause a year-long or career-ending injury. So why risk it then but not in the bowl game?

It’s just not the thought of playing in the NFL but also the transfer portal has become a factor for some of the same reasons of “ why should I risk injury if I won’t be here next season”

it may come down to getting rid of the bowl games altogether and have a playoff after the regular season ( a 12 team system has been suggested)