If you bother to look beyond the hype, past the overselling of tradition and the outright propaganda issued by vested interests such as those broadcasting the games, the four-team playoff system for the Division I national championship has neutered all the other bowls.
Whatever the flower, fruit, or corporate sponsor in their names, these outsider games all have become toilet bowls. Time just to flush them.
The best and brightest players opt out of the lesser-echelon games, meaning they don’t play in bowl games that are not in the playoff system lest they get injured and cost themselves some money when they try to move on to the pro ranks.
Presumably they don’t think they can get injured playing for a championship.
Matt Corral, the Ole Miss quarterback and likely NFL first-round draft pick, stood out by opting to play with his team in the Sugar Bowl – not one of the championship bowl games this year. And, just to add fuel to the fire, Corral had to be carted off the field early in the game with an ankle injury and did not return.
Fortunately for Corral, X rays were negative and according to reports the injury should not affect his draft stock.
But that hasn’t stopped the social media Monday Morning Morons from using Corral’s misfortune to lampoon critics of opt-out players. Notable among that group of critics is ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who questioned the love of the game of those opting out.
Fellow ESPN analyst Desmond Howard also was critical of the opt-out players.
The way I see it, this trend to opt out has helped to strip away the already thin student-athlete nonsense when we’re talking big-time college football.
The better college football programs serve as semi-pro leagues for the NFL, or CFL.
It can be argued that the colleges and NCAA take financial advantage of the players in this setup.
It also can be argued that many players take advantage of their colleges, pitting them against each other in the recruiting process and expecting to be treated like royalty when they hit the campus. Yet these players reserve the right to cut and run should they get an attitude cramp.
Let us deal with the reality of the situation. For all the corny crap about living or dying for Old State, how there’s no I in team, or about teams being one huge family, the reality is too large a percentage of players are lone rangers.
They do what is good for them and if it happens to help the team, too, well that’s just serendipity.
It’s not just the opting out that has removed that student-athlete illusion. The so-called transfer portal has become an eight-lane highway allowing disgruntled players to leave for theoretically greener pastures without losing any time.
Let me emphasize, I’ve got no problem with players looking out for themselves. I merely want all involved to be upfront and honest about it.
Moving forward, players, coaches and media should spare us the syrupy tributes to college football using buzzwords such as tradition, loyalty, teamwork.
Paint the players with the appropriate brush of mercenary self-interest and leave it at that.
And, please, let us get rid of maybe 25 or 30 bowl games so we have that many fewer chances for the self-interested to strut their indifference to their team and game by opting out of bowls.
Sam Ross Jr's site 