Do bowl games mean anything anymore?

briney11

Well-Known Member
Or even matter? With all of the players "opting out" and entering the portal, these games are more about extra practices for the remaining players and getting to see the guys who are taking over for the departed players. Whoever loses is always going to have the built in excuse of "well if so and so were playing, it would've been different". It sure isn't like it used to be. Seems to me that the bowl games are just glorified post season exhibitions now.
 
It's easy to crap on low and mid-level bowl games these days, but to the question 'do they matter?', I guess I look to the players for the answer. Do I hear starters saying they don't matter? Rarely. Do I hear starters saying they look forward to playing another game with their teammates? Yep. Do I see coaches coaching, and players playing like they want to win, like true competitors? Yep.
So, fans can crap on the games all they want. If the players want to compete for themselves, for their coaches, for their universities, and for their future...that's good enough for me.
 
It's easy to crap on low and mid-level bowl games these days, but to the question 'do they matter?', I guess I look to the players for the answer. Do I hear starters saying they don't matter? Rarely. Do I hear starters saying they look forward to playing another game with their teammates? Yep. Do I see coaches coaching, and players playing like they want to win, like true competitors? Yep.
So, fans can crap on the games all they want. If the players want to compete for themselves, for their coaches, for their universities, and for their future...that's good enough for me.
Yup.
 
It's easy to crap on low and mid-level bowl games these days, but to the question 'do they matter?', I guess I look to the players for the answer. Do I hear starters saying they don't matter? Rarely. Do I hear starters saying they look forward to playing another game with their teammates? Yep. Do I see coaches coaching, and players playing like they want to win, like true competitors? Yep.
So, fans can crap on the games all they want. If the players want to compete for themselves, for their coaches, for their universities, and for their future...that's good enough for me.
Exactly. It's fine if they don't matter to you. If they don't, then don't watch them. Think of all the great players we have that we've watched the past several years. We get to watch them one more time...if we choose to.

As for opt outs, I quote Norman Dale: I would hope you support who we are, not who we are not.
 
Or even matter? With all of the players "opting out" and entering the portal, these games are more about extra practices for the remaining players and getting to see the guys who are taking over for the departed players. Whoever loses is always going to have the built in excuse of "well if so and so were playing, it would've been different". It sure isn't like it used to be. Seems to me that the bowl games are just glorified post season exhibitions now.

Look no further than the excitement exhibited by Nebraska and other teams when they cross over the six win mark. Yes they matter.

And still, the team that plays isn’t the same roster that played all season long..
 
We will see if and/or when these bowl games have to pay players, if that will make a difference.
 
When they have to sign contracts for pay to play, those contracts could require participation in any post-season games.
I don’t know man, if I’m a top tier player with first or second round aspirations, I don’t want to be signing anything that might make me play in the Pinstripe or Pop Tart bowl right before the draft. Screw that. KJ playing in the Music City bowl would be just completely idiotic. An insurance policy can help, but blowing out a knee or rupturing an achilles could end your days of playing football. There’s more to it than just money. Maybe add language that they agree to play in any CFP games, but I really doubt anyone would opt out of those anyway.

Still has to be an individual decision. Just like you see NFL, MLB, and NBA players sit if their teams get either eliminated from or clinch playoff spots
 
Top