Over the last decade or so, there have been a lot of conversations about players “giving up on their teams” across all of college football for opting out of a bowl game. I know I’ve had those conversations over the years, and at one point I used to think less of players who decided not to play one last time.
But now my line of thinking is a little different.
Even former Michigan tight end Jake Butt — who infamously tore his ACL in the 2016 Orange Bowl when he was as one of the first tight ends in the 2017 draft — recently said he’s become sort of a “poster child” for what can happen if you get hurt in a bowl game. He talked about the complexities of the draft and other consequences if someone gets injured outside of an NFL facility, like insurance issues and what’s covered while players recover.
Star players opting out actually can help bring back excitement to non-CFP bowl games
Now that the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams — and will likely expand again in the near future — non-CFP bowls are less appealing and less exciting to the average fan.
When players began opting out in the mid-to-late-2010s — with Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette being the trend-setters back then — most fans only looked at it on the surface. “Players opting out of their bowl game is a bad thing for the sport and a bad thing to do to your team!”
However, perhaps we should look at it in a different lens and consider what this means for future seasons. For example, the Wolverines now have an opportunity to play some young guys that haven’t had the chance to play much this year. We will now get to see more of Jordan Marshall, Hogan Hansen and others, and see what they’ve got moving forward. These reps against a top tier team like Alabama will help in their development and hopefully provide a springboard into a pivotal offseason for the program.
Maybe it’s not just a “selfish” decision
Some people think players sitting out is selfish, but what if you thought they were putting their team first in those decisions? When guys like Graham and Loveland sit out of a bowl, they give the guys behind them a chance to play. There’s nothing on the line in this game, so if those young guys make mistakes, the worst thing that can happen is a loss that doesn’t mean as much as, say, a regular season game.
The best thing that can happen is coaches have a better understanding of where they’re at heading into the spring. Graham secured his legacy with monster performances, including his final game against Ohio State. Now it’s time for him to step aside and focus on himself so some other players can work on building their legacy.
It’s okay even if it is selfish
Football is a physically demanding game, and these players give their all for a chance at living out their dream of playing in the NFL. They have to decide what’s best for them and their families. So what if it’s “just about money?” That’s okay. They’re the ones who put in the work and get to decide what’s next in their lives, not living based on pressure from a fan base or fear that people might call them a quitter.
Michigan fell short of its goals this season, and I think the coaches and players would be the first ones to tell you that. But at the end of the season, the Wolverines managed to end their season on a high note by beating the Buckeyes for a fourth straight time.
I’m looking at this game against Alabama as an opportunity to build the program back up instead of focusing on the guys who have declared for the draft.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
