And so it begins - the NFL Draft opt-outs from bowl season are heating up

All of MSU players who are not in the portal.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9. Profit

Papa John’s is slammed during bowl season, so they would all have had to work, anyway.

I think their coach could be bowling, but.. I assume.. has “opted in” to spend a few weeks in East Lansing….

Interestingly, a lot of the smaller games are more watchable than the NY6 games. The NY6 games are are supposed to be the top games, featuring the top teams/brands, but they also have a higher concentration of NFL Draft talent willing to opt out since they didn't make the CFP.

A lot of the lower level games feature Power 5 teams trying to cement a nice season or program building win, especially for those with new coaches or rebuilds, and Group of 5 teams who truly view the game as a reward and the culmination of their good season.

Not true at all - most bowl games are *far more interesting* than the "average" game during the normal season.  Here is why:

1)  The bowls try to make every game a "close" matchup.  Obviously never perfect and sometimes one team is a clear favorite, nearly every bowl game is close to an equal match :  whether "good team" vs "good team" or "average team" vs "average team", almost every matchup is at least competitive on paper.  Contrast that to any regular season weekend, which might have a few interesting games but also full of a large amount of dreck... SEC team beating up FCS cupcake, Big Ten team beating up MAC cupcake, or in-conference "good team" pounding a celler-dwelling conference opponent.  Bowl games intentionally try to avoid this.

2)  Interesting and unusual matchups are part of the unique flavor of bowl season.  While we all love seeing good teams on the non-conference schedule, it's usually only one per season *at best*, and often it may be a retread (e.g. ND) rather than someone new.  The same usually goes for any major team - new & exciting out of conference matchups are rare... save during bowl season.  Here we get to see every FBS conference putting their better teams forward against other better teams... none of this clamoring for people to schedule Vandy, Indiana, Cal and Wake Forrest as a token "power conference" opponent.  You play someone that has a real chance of defeating you, but also counts as a solid victory if you win.

3)  Bowl season is a multi-day event.  Like March Madness, you get numerous days condensed of good, watchable games... no waiting an entire week or more for something to be on.  Christmas has one day of celebration.  Hanukkah has eight days.  Bowl Season (this year) has thirteen days (and in previous years many more), almost all crammed in the space between Dec 15th and Jan 2nd (and sometimes a few afterwards).  While also in parallel with times that many people have days off and can watch a mid-day game (or stream while at work), while also doing other holiday activities at home (or wherever)... what's not to enjoy?

4)  Why complain about *more* college football to see?  The season is nearly done and it will be a long time until late August comes around again.  Enjoy it while you can.

Agents, lawyers and bankers.

Business decisions for guys who are about to make a lot of money in professional sports is more accurate

Perhaps even with it.

NFL is deeeep pockets. Many eyeballs.

I mean, putting the toughest players against the toughest players for multiple playoff (and extra) games does not seem like it will reduce injuries.

If one player's NFL career is removed, more will rethink. Playoffs will be a gauntlet.

This is what I hate about people making this a "business decision" - it makes all of it uninteresting.  People claim that somehow bowl games are "meaningless", yet the majority of the regular season games are equally "meaningless" anyway.  Do people here really care that we beat up on ECU, BGSU, IU, or Purdue?  Those games meant little aside from not getting upset... no one will remember them ten years from now.  Yet people still talk about memories they have from Rose Bowls (and others) of decades past - because they *do* mean something.

If a player only cares about their NFL money and the *very, very low* chance it might be threatened (people always point to Jake Butt yet ignore the 1000+  other players that competed in bowls that same season without suffering any significant injury... and even Jake's injury didn't end his career, he still got to play several seasons in the NFL), they're going to quit on the season early anyway.  And this has been happening more every year.  It was a just a couple years ago that an Oklahoma player shutdown his season in late Sept or early Oct to prepare for the draft (not injury driven) and this picks up more as we get to November.

People here often rail against those who "don't support the team" either enough or in the proper way but... if this is going to be a "business decision"... then why should *we* be spending hundreds/thousands of dollars every year and committing much of our time to attend/watch/follow this game in the first place?  As "consumers", we have far better options available to us as "business decisions" regarding our limited resources. 

College sports is supposed to be about *passion*, not business.

The other thing I expect we will start to see is teams comfortably in the Top 12 starting to rest players to keep them fresh for the playoff. For instance, Michigan could have feasibly rested Zinter for the Ohio State game, as they were ranked in the top 3 going into the Game. 

Exactly.  It improves the viewing pleasure. 

Whether you're currently projected in the 1st, 4th or 7th round, one bowl game isn't going to change it.  The combine and working out for teams will have a bigger impact on changing a player's draft position.

Are conference championship games that much more "meaningful" to someone who might be a lock first round pick?  While we don't see NFL-ready guys opting our of those (and end season rivalry week) games *as much* as we do the bowl season... it still happens.  And it will certainly increase in the future.  ... should Zinter have sat out the Game?

And what about those guys who get torn ACLs or other serious injuries in NY6 or other CFP games?

I think you're on to a future trend here.  If you're a sure-fire NFL high draft pick but on #12 seed, do you just not risk it, shut it down and opt out?  We went as deep as possible this year in my living memory with 6 teams having a legit argument for being in the playoffs.*  I can't ever see a #12 to #8 seed running the table for a Natty.

*I said SIX, not SEVEN.  #7, no you don't belong.  SEVEN, now go lie down by your bowl and go to sleep.

Is bowl season really better than four weekends of playoff football?

OMG no… please.  IMO, they should have made it 8 teams.  12 teams - with arbitrary (Selection Committee) seeding - is too much.

Assuming the teams that play in the NC game next year will also have played in their conference’s Championship Game, they will have a 17 game schedule.

Indeed.  What was Zak even thinking playing that game?!  He should have checked out at the end of October and been 100% prepared for the combine, right?

Why risk anything just for some silly school games?

...

Remember all the campaigning people did that JMU should be bowl-eligible (and I agree, it's stupid that teams moving up to FBS are ineligible for a few years)? Despite the NCAA still denying their appeal and ruling them "ineligible," JMU is going to a bowl anyway (along with RichRod and JSU) because there aren't enough 6+ win teams. And 5-7 Minnesota is in a bowl game too...

You can thank espn for that.