Cold hard dose of reality

[18IsTheMan]

Saw on Twitter, one of the Gamecock writers posting about our outlook for the rest of the season and alluded to certain players who are most likely to sit out of the bowl game, among whom he mentioned Kennard as being likely to sit out.

This thought had not even entered my mind. I know opt outs are the thing now, but for what was projected for this team, where we started, the adversity we hit along the way, and where we are now, it just seems like such a tight group that I have not even entertained thoughts of opt outs.

Man, what a bummer that would be, for all that this team has accomplished truly as a team effort this year to have players sit out of what is for us a very consequential bowl game. Especially if we have a 10-win season on the line. Those don’t grow on trees around here.

I guess I’m just a little Pollyanna, but the makeup of this team really just doesn’t seem like guys who would sit out. It’s been a selfless group.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

Beamer says the culture is real, we shall see.

 

[92Pony]

Twould be a real bummer. With any luck, whoever we play in our bowl will hopefully be dealing with the same thing.

 

[KingWard]

College football is going to have to use its play-for play model contractually to stop this.

 

[atl-cock]

College football is going to have to use its play-for play model contractually to stop this.

Or force players who purposely sit out to reimburse scholarship $$$.

 

[KingWard]

Or force players who purposely sit out to reimburse scholarship $$$.

The precedent having already been set the other way, legislation will be required.

 

[Ronin A10]

Saw on Twitter, one of the Gamecock writers posting about our outlook for the rest of the season and alluded to certain players who are most likely to sit out of the bowl game, among whom he mentioned Kennard as being likely to sit out.

This thought had not even entered my mind. I know opt outs are the thing now, but for what was projected for this team, where we started, the adversity we hit along the way, and where we are now, it just seems like such a tight group that I have not even entertained thoughts of opt outs.

Man, what a bummer that would be, for all that this team has accomplished truly as a team effort this year to have players sit out of what is for us a very consequential bowl game. Especially if we have a 10-win season on the line. Those don’t grow on trees around here.

I guess I’m just a little Pollyanna, but the makeup of this team really just doesn’t seem like guys who would sit out. It’s been a selfless group.

Hard to say. Until this kinda stuff effects draft status I don't expect it to change.

 

[3USC1801]

Why would any of them play under the new “system?” After all, they now expect money on top of all their other benefits.

Until universities/conferences/bowl sponsors realize they will have to share financial gains with players, I don’t see any incentives for players to participate in bowl games.

This is what college football has become. The can of worms has been opened and the sooner players become employees under contract, the sooner some of these issues will be resolved.

 

[Slim Chickens Gamecock]

Tie it to NIL payout

 

[atl-cock]

The precedent having already been set the other way, legislation will be required.

Could have placed such a clause in the scholarship contract.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Tie it to NIL payout

Yes, NIL deals could stipulate the player must play in any bowl game.

 

[Cackmandu]

Under the current system all that matters is the regular season and the playoff, bowl games have zero meaning and are just an exhibition. Play the guys that are projected to fill those opt-outs positions and move on. It is what it is until we have some kind of formal contracts.

 

[Thunderstick]

Or force players who purposely sit out to reimburse scholarship $$$.

...or NIL money.

 

[Sleepyhead]

Under the current system all that matters is the regular season and the playoff, bowl games have zero meaning and are just an exhibition. Play the guys that are projected to fill those opt-outs positions and move on. It is what it is until we have some kind of formal contracts.

That's not necessarily true. There's still media exposure. There's an opportunity to finish with an added win and improve final ranking. Both of these are good, especially this season where 10 wins and a top 12 finish would be huge for Carolina. Also, it's an opportunity to put another trophy in the trophy room.

 

[Sleepyhead]

Kennard also still has a chance to break the schools all time single season sack record and have his name in big letter in the stadium forever. You would think that would be as important as his draft stock. He'll get drafted regardless. It is sort of sad to see the importance of collegiate legacy fading away. I mean I look at what happened with Lattimore. Had Spurrier not run him like crazy, maybe he would have stayed healthy and played longer. But his efforts his freshman year pretty much cemented his legacy at Carolina. Money fades, that doesn't.

 

[KingWard]

Why would any of them play under the new “system?” After all, they now expect money on top of all their other benefits.

Until universities/conferences/bowl sponsors realize they will have to share financial gains with players, I don’t see any incentives for players to participate in bowl games.

This is what college football has become. The can of worms has been opened and the sooner players become employees under contract, the sooner some of these issues will be resolved.

Well, an unforeseen but welcome benefit of revenue sharing would be the elimination of most if not all of these garbage bowls.

 

[KingWard]

Could have placed such a clause in the scholarship contract.

That would have been nice, but grants-in-aid are academic instruments and no foundation that I know of, has ever been laid regarding participation. I believe that a requirement to play in bowls, along with pay-for-play in general, are going to come down to new legal protocols.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Under the current system all that matters is the regular season and the playoff, bowl games have zero meaning and are just an exhibition. Play the guys that are projected to fill those opt-outs positions and move on. It is what it is until we have some kind of formal contracts.

A 10-win season and top 15 finish would matter a heck of a lot for USC>

 

[Gradstudent]

I'm sure we will have some not play and some stay and play and the other team will be similar.

It doesn't really both me, for the bowl game, it just seems to be a part of 2024 college football.

But if its excessive and causes a embarrassing performance like FSU last year then that's another story and

If someone opts not to play against Clemson, then I would be

 

[18IsTheMan]

I'm sure we will have some not play and some stay and play and the other team will be similar.

It doesn't really both me, for the bowl game, it just seems to be a part of 2024 college football.

But if its excessive and causes a embarrassing performance like FSU last year then that's another story and

If someone opts not to play against Clemson, then I would be

It would bother me greatly if players opted out, costing us a win and a final top 25 ranking.

 

[Gradstudent]

It would bother me greatly if players opted out, costing us a win and a final top 25 ranking.

If that happened, you would have a point, but the more I think about it, I don't really see the point of focusing on and discussing worst case "what if" scenarios right now.

 

[18IsTheMan]

If that happened, you would have a point, but I don't really see the point of focusing on and discussing worst case "what if" scenarios right now.

Well, I wasn't going out of my way to think about it. One of the Gamecock beat guys on Twitter simply alluded to the fact that Kennard would likely sit out a bowl game. Given the excitement and team chemistry this squad seems to have, players opting out had not even occurred to me.

I think of opt outs for blue bloods who miss out on the CFP or star players on teams going to crappy bowls. But we'll be in line for a solid bowl and top 25 finish. Given our history, that's nothing to scoff at.

Unrelated to your post, but I still have yet to hear anyone offer a meaningful argument for why non-CFP bowl games don't matter. People just say as if it's self evidentiary.

 

[will110]

Well, I wasn't going out of my way to think about it. One of the Gamecock beat guys on Twitter simply alluded to the fact that Kennard would likely sit out a bowl game. Given the excitement and team chemistry this squad seems to have, players opting out had not even occurred to me.

I think of opt outs for blue bloods who miss out on the CFP or star players on teams going to crappy bowls. But we'll be in line for a solid bowl and top 25 finish. Given our history, that's nothing to scoff at.

Unrelated to your post, but I still have yet to hear anyone offer a meaningful argument for why non-CFP bowl games don't matter. People just say as if it's self evidentiary.

If you say "bowl games don't matter" long enough, everyone believes it. That's what's happened, though I find that statement absurd.

If bowl games don't matter, then no game matters as soon as the team is out of playoff contention.

 

[18IsTheMan]

If you say "bowl games don't matter" long enough, everyone believes it. That's what's happened, though I find that statement absurd.

If bowl games don't matter, then no game matters as soon as the team is out of playoff contention.

Like much in our society, there doesn't have to be a logical explanation. You just have to say it long enough and loud enough and eventually folks start to parrot it, Even fans who say they don't like it will concede it's true.

I hear so many fans say they don't matter but nobody has ever said WHY.

 

[atl-cock]

That would have been nice, but grants-in-aid are academic instruments and no foundation that I know of, has ever been laid regarding participation. I believe that a requirement to play in bowls, along with pay-for-play in general, are going to come down to new legal protocols.

We have the same idea, just different approaches to the same end result.

 

[atl-cock]

Well, an unforeseen but welcome benefit of revenue sharing would be the elimination of most if not all of these garbage bowls.

And a 16-team playoff for FBS with all but the championship game held at the home field of the higher seed.

 

[atl-cock]

That would have been nice, but grants-in-aid are academic instruments and no foundation that I know of, has ever been laid regarding participation. I believe that a requirement to play in bowls, along with pay-for-play in general, are going to come down to new legal protocols.

Any idea what student requirements are actually contained in athletics aid instrument?

 

[Mr. Belvedere]

You really think that writer knows anything about the locker room or who might sit out? Calm down.

 

[18IsTheMan]

You really think that writer knows anything about the locker room or who might sit out? Calm down.

It's unproductive to stick one's head in the sand.

Like it or not, opt outs are the norm.

Also, this is a forum, a place where topics get discussed. Welcome to life.

 

[KingWard]

Any idea what student requirements are actually contained in athletics aid instrument?

Only generally. Take and attend the requisite number of courses/classes and meet certain academic standards.

 

[Uscg1984]

Let's see how it plays out first. I wouldn't put much stock in what a "journalist" tweets out about who is and isn't likely to sit out a bowl game at this point. It does seem there are still some intangibles that factor into who plays in bowl games and who doesn't (see Georgia and FSU last year).

 

[will110]

Well, an unforeseen but welcome benefit of revenue sharing would be the elimination of most if not all of these garbage bowls.

Who cares if there are "garbage" bowls? It's more college football.

 

[Cackmandu]

A 10-win season and top 15 finish would matter a heck of a lot for USC>

Guys, I'm not saying it doesn't matter to the school or the fans, I'm saying what matters to the opt-outs! They're ready to move on, so we should be prepared to move on!

 

[Captain_Obvious]

I'm sure we will have some not play and some stay and play and the other team will be similar.

It doesn't really both me, for the bowl game, it just seems to be a part of 2024 college football.

But if its excessive and causes a embarrassing performance like FSU last year then that's another story and

If someone opts not to play against Clemson, then I would be

Opting out of a regular season game should be grounds for dismissal

 

[Coastal Gamecock]

Saw on Twitter, one of the Gamecock writers posting about our outlook for the rest of the season and alluded to certain players who are most likely to sit out of the bowl game, among whom he mentioned Kennard as being likely to sit out.

This thought had not even entered my mind. I know opt outs are the thing now, but for what was projected for this team, where we started, the adversity we hit along the way, and where we are now, it just seems like such a tight group that I have not even entertained thoughts of opt outs.

Man, what a bummer that would be, for all that this team has accomplished truly as a team effort this year to have players sit out of what is for us a very consequential bowl game. Especially if we have a 10-win season on the line. Those don’t grow on trees around here.

I guess I’m just a little Pollyanna, but the makeup of this team really just doesn’t seem like guys who would sit out. It’s been a selfless group.Yep

i see it like the 2022 bowl vs Notre Dame. Opt outs cost us a 9 win season.

Its bittersweet. Kennard and Rocket came here for 1 year and helped us to a special seaosn. In the 12-team playoff era, non playoff bowls truly are meaningless so I guess why risk injury? I’ve softened my opinion on this. The non playoff games are basically now “winter practice” for those returning the next season.

 

[18IsTheMan]

i see it like the 2022 bowl vs Notre Dame. Opt outs cost us a 9 win season.

Its bittersweet. Kennard and Rocket came here for 1 year and helped us to a special seaosn. In the 12-team playoff era, non playoff bowls truly are meaningless so I guess why risk injury? I’ve softened my opinion on this. The non playoff games are basically now “winter practice” for those returning the next season.

When it comes to bowl opt-outs, fans have accepted that final record and ranking don't matter.

Yet fans will still boast about their team's final record and ranking (if it's good) and coaches are ultimately judged by that criteria.

There's a disconnect.

 

[Uscg1984]

Like most fans, I suspect, I enjoy getting an extra win.

I think most coaches still get incentive bonuses for bowl wins and/or additional wins in their contracts, so presumably it means something to them. It's up to said coach to figure out how to motivate his team for a bowl game. Whether that means creating a "culture" where your top players want to play, or "coaching up" your backups to go out and win the game, I guess it doesn't really matter as long as they get the W.

 

[HI Cock1]

Could have placed such a clause in the scholarship contract.

Scholarships don't work that way, but NIL could. Once tuition is paid, it's done - whether you pass the classes or not. NIL contracts could be written that way, but then that could be used as a recruiting tool against other teams... "we won't MAKE you play in a bowl game."

Like it or not, we're stuck with this system until there are rules. If I'm a top NFL prospect - rounds 1 or 2 - why would I play in a rather meaningless bowl game (i.e. not in the playoffs) and risk my future career?

 

[KingWard]

Who cares if there are "garbage" bowls? It's more college football.

Evidently I do. When teams with break-even and sometimes losing records get to go, then any idea of all bowls being attached to achievement has become farcical.

 

[will110]

Evidently I do. When teams with break-even and sometimes losing records get to go, then any idea of all bowls being attached to achievement has become farcical.

That was my question...why do you care? More college football is always good.

I don't really attach achievement to a pair of 6-6 teams playing in Mobile, Alabama on the day after Christmas. If the teams want to play and someone wants to pay to have a game for them to show up to, I don't see that it hurts anyone.

But it is college football, and I tend to watch parts of most bowl games.