re: Opting out is not the problem...it's the symptom...

So players don’t go all out during the regular season , so no one has a chance to get hurt.

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"scarcity" of bowl games 30-40 years coupled with the traditional sentiment that reaching one was a significant accomplishment kept them meaningful for the players and fans.

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Reaching a bowl game hasn't been a reach achievement in almost 25 years. The games are as meaningful as the fan base and players want it to be. If LSU was playing in a NY6 game it would feel a lot more meaningful.

Sitting out of bowl games was coming, COVID just speed it up and showed that for most players entering the draft playing in random bowl game has very little upside and a potential downside.

How may underclass men are sitting out of bowl games? Why can't we just enjoy bowl games for what they are, football during a slow time of the year and one last time to watch your team. Is anyone really not tuning into to a Bowl game on 10/31 or 1/1 because some team they dont cheer for has a bunch of opt outs?

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The real problem is there are too many bowl games that don't mean anything.

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I don't know why people think that somehow, all of a sudden out of the blue, most bowl games "don't matter".

-Pre 1998 unless you were in the top 5 playing a high profile game wiht a chance at a Coaches/AP title on the line, your bowl game "didn't matter"
-1998 to 2013 there was one designated game literally called the "national championship game", so by definition all other games "didn't matter"
-From 2014 to present if you aren't int he top 4 of the playoff rankings your bowl game "doesn't matter".


So wtf does it all of a sudden NOW truly not matter and people quit left and right and dont' GAF when even just 10 years ago that wasn't the case?

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. If you blame the players you're clueless.

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but that's exactly teh problem. It's a generational/entitlement issue. The 18-21 year olds in these games were all born in the 21st century and have grown up with a cell phone in theri hand from birth and have gone their entire lives used to INSTANT gratification. Them being good at football only makes things worse since they've always been told how awesome they are. You're being unfairly treated as a D1 football player? Fine you're right, here's a million dollars to go to our school! Oh, practice is too hard and you don't think it's fair you aren't starting? Fine your'e right, you can go wherever you please with no repercussions!

The NCAA with NIL/portal has completely fricked things up, but the starting point is simply a generation of young people that don't value bowl games in a way they should be. Nothing with the Sugar or Orange or Rose Bowl has changed in the last 10 years to take them from prestigious, acclaimed places you strive to play in to simply an afterthought that you'd rather quit than play in...aside from the kind of people playign in them.

As a fan of the sport I wish it wasn't this way but I completely understand. I wonder where it is all going? Like will we see players opting out of games after their team is out of contention for a championship?

For example, it made no sense for Texas A&M's Devin Achane to play in the LSU game. It really made no sense for him to play in any game after their third loss because they were out of the conference race and he had plenty of plays on film for NFL scouts. I hope it doesn't go this way, but I predict it will.

The playoffs when it goes to 24 team formate will become the bowl structure going forward. Unlike the bowl games of the past that almost never pitted the best teams against each other, you will now have bowl games that are ceded and match the best of the best.
The sooner it goes to 24 team format the sooner these willie nillie bowl games go away.
Yes I know there aren't 24 playoff worthy teams, but you are guaranteed to see games that mean something and not all these 6-6 teams in these endless Beth Mowins career life line games.

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So you're suggesting that on the bubble players are trying to make it to the NFL by intentionally injuring players who are sure fire draft picks? That's just stupid

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Classic example of someone who’s never played competitive sports in his life and thinks he’s the best player/coach from his couch

The Sugar Bowl and other top bowls were destination rewards for a good season.

The weeklong bowl events included all kinds of activities, not only for the football team but other college teams. For example, I remember watching rowing competitions on Bayou St John during the week. Not sure if that continues since I left the city years ago.

I believe it's too bad that we've lost a great tradition in many of the resort bowl cities. It used to be fun.

There's probably a lot of causes.

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I'm not assigning a value to one bowl game or another, I'm simply pointing out that the only thing that's changed from when they supposedly did matter sevearl years ago, to not mattering now, is the mindset of the young people playing in them.

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The sole reas that "they mattered" seems to be that players going to the draft played in the game. Did the sugar bowl matter to Bama when Utah boat raced them in 2009, no it didn't. Every year there are teams that don't show up to bowl games because they don't really care and it has gone on before the playoff.

The Sugar Bowl was big deal because everyone said it's a big deal it is just coming to the surface that bowl games, in reality, were not as important as bowl committees sponsors, and ESPN told us they were. They are still college football games which are great to watch.

Then explain Saban getting two top 5 picks to play in non-playoff bowl?