Warm Take: Draft-eligible players sitting out the bowl - good for the players, good for the team
I'll try to keep it quick.
The epidemic of draft-eligible players sitting out the bowl game is now apparently infecting even mid-to-late round prospects. Ah well. It's good for them, because they preserve their health and can instead prep for the combine, obviously.
BUT, it's good for the team, too! A player who even THINKS about skipping the bowl game would never be that invested in the game anyway. There'd likely be a thought in the back of his mind that he just CANNOT get injured. And with that thought/worry, how hard is he going to play?
But who will play hard and leave everything on the field? Players who backed up those upperclassmen and now get a chance to prove themselves on a massive stage. If they want to prove that they belong amongst the starters next year and kickstart their own draft hype, they're gong to play lights out in the bowl game.
To sum it up, I feel MUCH more comfortable having Paye, Evans/Wilson/Turner, and A. Thomas playing than (still beloved) players who (wisely) have their mind on their draft stock.
Fin.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:30 PM ^
There are studies that say an average football player bring close to $200k to the program. The star players like these are worth at least 2 to 3X.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:23 PM ^
The athletic department is a separate financial entity. The 200k goes to pay for facilities, athletic staff and other sports.
I'm not seeing the logic of increasing the tuition bill for students not on athletic scholarship.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:26 PM ^
The athletic department is financially independent from the university. So you can take your imaginary stakeholder status and shove it up your ass. No one cares.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
While I agree that the money argument is stupid - the athletic department isn't really financially independent from the university.
Financially SEPERATE from a book keeping perspective - yes, but not financially independent.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:09 PM ^
If your kid could possibly miss out on millions of dollars by going to that class I would hope he/she would be smart enough to skip the class and take the millions. I am sure he/she would be since they are taking classes at UM.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
Not a fair comparison. A better one is that your finished classes and skipped graduation because his new lucrative job started immediately and he didn't want to risk losing the opportunity. These players finished classes and are skipping the meaningless exhibition because they don't want to risk losing their opportunity.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:54 PM ^
This is correct except for the "massive stage" part. Non-CFP bowls are essentially the first and only exhibition game of the next season, except you don't have rookies.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
The NY6 is still massive. The Peach Bowl is sold out and will have a TV audience that'll probably be bigger than any regular season game other than The Game.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:04 PM ^
You may well be right, but isn't the Peach Bowl sold out because if you buy tickets for this one, you're guaranteed an opportunity to buy a ticket for next year when it's a playoff game.
I anticipate as the trend of players sitting out spreads, the non-CFP bowls get less and less interest.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:54 PM ^
I don't disagree with this take... it's just a different perspective. Bowl games are now pre-season exhibition games for *next year*, minus any potential freshman contributors. That is, they're "Back Up (players) Bowls". This is, as OP points out, likely good for next year's team, but it does not follow that it is good for either (1) our prospects of winning, or (2) our level of enjoyment/enthusiasm watching.
In addition, in this new world, it significantly undercuts any end-of-season rankings, as they are influenced by the outcome of a game notionally played by next year's team.
Bottom line: if you enjoy M football just because it's M football, and can let go of "this year's team" on the basis of just the regular season (damn, that's a bad taste to be left with!), then you'll probably enjoy our "Bowl"... but if you were hoping for one last hurrah by the talented 2018 team... well, apparently that was the OSU game.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
The CFP ruined bowl games,its all or nothing.We get an early look at 2019.Evans and Tru will tote the pill.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^
Would it be different if players opted not to play if Michigan were playing in the CFP bowl game?
December 18th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^
Good point - those games would have been meaningless for Bush anyways; his draft stock is secure. What incentive would there have been to play? Just a business decision on his part.
I relaize that’s devils advocate but I have a feeling the reaction to that on here would have been different then most of the responses I’ve noticed.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
The player's motivation remain, but I would have to suspect it'd be outweighed by the responsibility to the team.
We've all pretty come to except that any bowl outside of the playoffs is a glorified exhibition, but CFP games can actually lead to a national championship. I couldn't imagine a player ever wanting to miss that or having the gall to do it even if he did want to. I could be wrong, though.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:28 PM ^
But, to my point, if a player's draft status is secure, and he is purely making a business decision, why can you criticize him for sitting out a CFP game if you're not going to for other bowls? Wouldn't they all be (to use everyone's favorite term lately) 'meaningless' to the player and possibly cause him to never get an NFL contract?
December 18th, 2018 at 2:38 PM ^
I don't agree that going for a championship is meaningless. It's meaningless in the "getting drafted" sense, but I just can't imagine that a player that helped bring his team to the doorstep of a championship would abandon them at that point.
If we were to accept the playoffs as meaningless, then what part of college football isn't meaningless. The player that skips the playoffs might as well quit mid-season, regardless of how their team is doing. Heck, they might as well skip the ENTIRE season, even if they're completely healthy. I had heard some pundits encourage some players to do just that, but thus far nobody has shown such disregard for college football yet.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:07 PM ^
I still haven’t gotten an answer to “how would this board feel if Cole, Hurst, and Hammer Panda sat out the OSU game two years ago because we weren’t going to win the B10 or get to the playoffs?” I’m guessing we will all have a shit fit and rightly so.
If Gary sits the bowl game out, I can now rightfully question if he could have played in more games this year because he wasn’t really hurt, he was just voluntarily sitting out because he was thinking about the draft. That’s a pretty shitty thing to do to all your teammates.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:17 PM ^
You hit the nail on the head of where I was going. Basically, every game Jadeveon Clowney played after his freshman year of college was 'meaningless'. Where does this stop?
December 18th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^
Why is always the Alpha Capitalists that have the biggest issue with players preserving their earning potential?
December 18th, 2018 at 2:04 PM ^
Take it easy, Comrade
December 18th, 2018 at 2:09 PM ^
More like beta wolf, I'm I right. Because it sounds like Beowulf.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:01 PM ^
Eventually the number of players a team has sitting out of a non-playoff bowl game will be a symbol of how well it develops NFL talent. This is good news.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
It's the holiday season so whoop de do and hickory dock
December 18th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Here’s my take
The “playoff” is absolute nonsense.
How many times has the NFL champion come from outside the league’s best 4 teams in the season?
All they did was replace the BCS computers with old people and add an extra game.
CFP stands for College’s Fake Playoff. It’s mythicalgarbage that has rendered the other 38 bowls “meaningless” to many people. College Football is shit now that STILL can’t crown a national champion without other legit arguments.
I respect the guys sitting out of the bowl and wish them the best but I’m not a fan of it at all.
Don’t hate the players, hate the game and what it has become. I certainly do.
If two (2) postseason games are what everyone is trying to get into and supposedly nothing else beyond TWO GAMES matter, then what are we doing here? Why even bother?
December 18th, 2018 at 2:38 PM ^
Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, I think I'd rather have the BCS back. It's harder and harder to feel like you had a good season with no shared conference titles and all the other bowls rendered meaningless.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:59 PM ^
Its 100% a money making enterprise and is treated and accepted as such for everyone but the players. I don't know why its so shocking that they realized this and starting playing by the same rules.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:36 PM ^
Wholeheartedly agree, the CFP and BCS are a big source of this issue, minimizing the value of what should have been the reward for a successful season. Although it is just another example of the money driving things and I doubt there is a natural force to counteract it.
I just don't see the benefit of the BCS / CFP or the Conference Championship Games. I don't like that 97 was a split championship, but we still have it in our recordbooks. Similarly under the 11 team conference we would have been able to tally more conference championships, they may have been co-championships, but in 5+ years they all fade together. Maybe it is the millennial in me, but all this "there can only be one" mentality creates more downside potential for teams.
The other for I think driving this trend is the recruiting sites and the endless ranking and analysis of individual players. Back in the day you needed the bowl exposure to be seen, now the NFL prospects are often tagged right out of high school and can track their own status compared to just hoping their name is called on draft day. This isn't going to change and while I understand it is a business decision I really don't like it. It also drives me to realize how much the mentality of the team has changed, the increased recognition of the individual also drives selfishness for lack of a better word. The players that are skipping are talented, but it was the team of guys who won't hear their name called on draft day that made the opportunities for the elite players to show their skill. I hope those who skip the bowl to go collect their millions remember to send some back to those that helped along the way and the they left hanging when the bowl game came around.
December 18th, 2018 at 7:08 PM ^
Well wait a minute. There can only be one national champion. But teams feel they had a successful season if they go deep in the NCAA Tournament despite not winning their conference.
Look at 2013 Michigan Basketball for example.
That goes away if you have a real tournament and not a "playoff". Get rid of CCGs and just let the chips fall where they may in the B1G standings. If there's multiple co-champions, we'll see who was the best in the tournament.
32 teams would end all of this. There is zero excuse for this other than greed. You don't have to kill the bowls off either as they can be the quarterfinal and semifinal locations. The winner of semifinal A would be the Orange/Cotton Bowl champion just like it is now.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:21 PM ^
I think it speaks volumes that a guy like Chase, who, if injured, stands to lose a lot more money than Higdon and still opts to play next week.
My take is I don't want to see these guys on our sidelines Dec. 29. In my line of work you do not abandon your team before the job is done. Just my thoughts.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:57 PM ^
Isn't our bowl a NY6 bowl? So New Year's Day?
The thought remains salient, however.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:02 PM ^
NY6 "ish"
December 18th, 2018 at 3:27 PM ^
It's a "New Year's" bowl being played on 12/29 for TV reasons.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:25 PM ^
Given that this particular bowl game is meaningless, I agree that it may be better to give the playing time to guys who will be here next year and need the development.
I am not sure I would feel that way for all non-playoff bowl games.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^
Here's the reason I like having players sit out (besides their long term finances and health) and I wish I didn't have to have this reason:
It makes our coaches come up with something new and creative.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:43 PM ^
Split 50 percent of the bowl revenue with the students. Winning team gets a bigger chunk. A healthy non participating player does not get a share. If they are going to make bigger money And does not want to participate it is a good business move on their part.
Without any advantage like that not sure why they would risk it. Football is not that important in life.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:01 PM ^
I am curious why NFL executives would not put a premium on players who show the level of commitment to give 100% every chance they can.
December 18th, 2018 at 5:07 PM ^
Hard lesson: the professional world doesn't give a sh** about values.
The Wu knew, cash rules everything around me.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:03 PM ^
Is there anything to be said for the fact that the only positive thread on the front page(Sam crystal ball for Cornelius) has the fewest responses?
December 18th, 2018 at 3:05 PM ^
It's good for the player(s) but it certainly isn't good for a team preparing for a bowl game. Especially when they will be missing several key starters. Contrary to the narrative some would like to paint the bowl game is not a meaningless "exhibition match". Don't believe for one minute that this game doesn't mean something to Jim Harbaugh. With a chance to end the season on a winning note it most certainly means something to the players, staff and potential recruits.
All because the players staying are not coming out and blasting those sitting doesn't mean that they don't feel negatively about it. They are just not going to blast anyone publicly for it. You really don't hear anything about this subject from the rest of the players. Pretty quiet considering there are 85 guys on a team.
My question is why bother playing at all if you have a chance of being drafted? What was the point of playing the first 12 games? At any point through those 12 games a horrific career ending injury could have occurred so why bother? And stop using Jake Butt as an example. He has already said he would play the bowl game again. They are quitting on their team and teammates and it isn't any different then a head coach bailing out on one team for another. It is a selfish act. I do support the players right to prepare for the draft and a well earned payday. But let's not spin this as something good for the game. That it is not.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:14 PM ^
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:25 PM ^
This is ultimately a pretty meaningless bowl game, so I have a pretty hard time getting worked up about draft-eligible players sitting out. Given what happened to Jake Butt, how can you blame them?
The one thing the bowl is good for is getting extra practice for next year's team. Why waste first team snaps on players who can't help you with next year's goals?
What I would think might be a better compromise: draft eligible player says, hey coach, I'd prefer not to play but I'll happily work out with the team, travel, and be a senior leader. Make me the 3rd string "break glass in case of emergency" option in case everyone else at my spot gets hurt.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
I like the idea behind the voluntary backup role, but my guess is with how the NCAA treats amateurism and guys training with agents it's untenable. To me, the last game these guys are playing is a glorified exhibition so that a bunch of guys in suits collect millions of dollars off TV rights, ticket sales, merchandise, etc. while college athletes who are going to exhaust their eligibility the minute the game ends have to play along.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:49 PM ^
So if these players decide to sit out their last bowl game, are they then going to be treated as pariahs? Because that's the internal inconsistency with all this "toughness" and "passion for the team" comments. It boils down to "I like the guy who does what I want, not the guy who doesn't."
December 18th, 2018 at 3:59 PM ^
Marcus Ray 98 = IDF / WYD from mlive
December 18th, 2018 at 4:12 PM ^
Two reactions: only two bowls matter - the semi finals. All other bowls are exhibitions. With what happened to Jake Butt & the linebacker from ND, economically rational decision by a draftable player to sit out. Secondly, new red shirt rule gives freshmen chance to play & preserve redshirt. Bowl practices become a new “spring” practice preparing for the next year. A new world.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^
As we see in garbage-time though, sometimes the backups playing at full intensity aren't as good as the starters half-assing it.
There's a reason they're backups.
December 18th, 2018 at 5:09 PM ^
Nobody benefits from 15 bowl practices like 1st and 2nd year players, though.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:40 PM ^
Something fake Marcus can agree with...”if you aren’t first, you’re last”. M wasn’t first this year and the bowl doesn’t change that.
For better or worse this allows M to prepare the young men who will be essential to the success of the team NEXT year. Bowl win is great — definitely soothes the fan base - but doesn’t serve much of a purpose overall.