Maybe a tell on who's opting out?
- Thread starter PSUJam
- Start date
So it will be a bunch of “Who the f*ck is that?” guys playing in the bowl game. Yea.
When will these kids realize it isn’t about them? It’s about us old, fat, shitfaced (or caffeine-loaded) fans who need, and deserve, the win.
When will these kids realize it isn’t about them? It’s about us old, fat, shitfaced (or caffeine-loaded) fans who need, and deserve, the win.
It is finals week at PSU, so player availability should be impacted.
That's right, Bob! It's total bull$h1+! They owe us big time. What about our vicarious living?
You get it. Parents, teach your children well…Franklin too.
I would be suprised if all these guys opt out. This is essentially all of our best players. If true then it tells me these guys are like get me out of this dumpster fire of a season and team. If so expect a total beatdown unless Arkansas has their top 7 guys opting out.
Dotson, Brisker and AE are gone no matter what and yes they are the best players on the team. The get me out of here drama you're projecting is hilarious. These bowls are meaningless and as CJF said today he thinks they CF playoffs should include as many teams as possible. I believe he said 12 is a good start.
And don't forget about the bettors! Do they ever think about us!?
Gee whiz, Tom, why bring some context to this Board. We'd rather have a meltdown.
Look on the bright side, if the young untested players look terrible hope during the summer goes into a tailspin.
Who are.....Penn State players that will, or declare to be, eligible for this year's draft?
I don't understand the repeated claim about the meaninglessness of the bowl game. By definition, they are NOT meaningless. They count towards our record. The stats count. Why is the Outback bowl any more meaningless than any game we played after losing to Illinois, when we were eliminated from B1G East contention? This game counts exactly the same as any of those games. So why skip this game but play in 5 other "meaningless" games?
Well, it's the last game and opportunity for a career ending injury for the players planning to be drafted in April. I mean, it means something in the W/L column, but doesn't contribute to the big seasonal goals of B1G Championship, CFP, and National Championship. Beating Illinois helps get you to one or all of those goals; this game is mostly about *maybe* changing your end of year ranking, which means nothing unless it's #1 and maybe #2. The other rankings mean nothing outside of superlative list making.
I said after the Illinois game. We had 5 games left. No chance at a championship. Everyone of those games meant exactly the same as the bowl game. If the bowl game is meaningless, so was OSU and MD and Mich and Rutgers and MSU.
Remember what Chase Young and Nick Bosa did when they thought they had put out enough game film for the NFL scouts to evaluate?
Yikes. Sorry, didn't realize it was a dead subject. Please correct me then. How is the Outback Bowl any more meaningless than OSU or MD or Mich or Rutgers or MSU? We had 2 B1G losses by the time we played OSU. No championship possibilities. 3 losses when we played MD and Mich and 4 losses when we played Rutgers and MSU. How in the world were those games meaningful but the bowl game is meaningless?
Once a chance at a championship is out the window and a person wants to shut it down, I get it. But what doesn't make sense is to continue playing in regular season games long after your chance to win a championship is gone but then opting out of a bowl game because it's a meaningless game.
Why would Brisker and the defensive players that may look to go to the NFL play in a game when their Defensive Coordinator is gone and you have your Safties coach calling plays? There's a chance he can make them look really bad.
Also, if the bowl game is so important, why didn't Pry stick around to coach it? See, it works both ways.
True, but I think that Madsol has fair point. Why is MSU so different than a bowl game? The CFP was long gone. MSU is not a rival, and that contrived trophy has no meaning. If the concern is a career altering injury, perhaps you don't play in that meaningless game either or against lowly Rutgers. Is there a discernibly different risk of injury in one game versus another?
I am not saying that a career changing injury cannot occur during a bowl game (e,g., Willis McGahee). The injury concern reasoning is always people's interpretation of the player's decision.
Perhaps, they simply paid their dues (being a D1 player and a student is a great amount of responsibility), and it's time to move on to the next phase of their life.
It's solely their decision and (obviously) perfectly fine.
Technically I agree. Ultimately, it's all *meaningless*. But, some things are more meaningless than others. Thank you and apologies to George Orwell.
It should absolutely be about us old, fat, shitfaced (or caffeine-loaded) fans. We're the customers. We buy the tickets and merchandise and also generate the TV ad revenue that pays for everything.
I don't blame the players. I blame the NCAA for allowing this nonsense.
Because it seems some posters care enough about PSU’s stance relative to the smaller region of the conference, but they don’t give nearly the same care about their stance in the nation.
Same as the view for the thought that 2016 was better than 2019 (or 2017) strictly because PSU did better in the 9 games they care more about than the whole season.
See my previous response to Madsol.
Additionally, opting out the last game of the season against a conference rival you play every year and recruit against versus opting out of a Bowl Game to prepare for the NFL Draft will likely be looked upon in different lights by people who matter in your life going forward (certain NFL GMs, coaches, owners, for example). I didn't make the rules, but there are different levels of meaninglessness; if this were 20 years ago, I'd say bowls matter a lot. But, if not the CFP and to a lesser degree the NY6, most schools don't care - they split checks anyway.
Yes I see the different degrees of meaningless. What annoys me is Franklin can get a free pass if we look like crap and lose. Oh, we had opt outs and wink wink the game is meaningless anyway so don't worry that I blew another game against a quality opponent. Trust me, if we played Arkansas during the regular non conference slate then we would win. Thanks James we trust you, we know how clutch you are in toss up games.
Sorry...I just don't think that sitting out a last meaningless regular season game is so much different than a bowl against an (often) highly ranked team. Recruiting effect - No. Rival - MSU? No. NFL character evaluation? Please. Plus, do you think that Franklin would throw the player under the bus and potentially hurt them in the league? The player would simply be unavailable for the game.
Regardless, that was not point. My point was everyone is attributing the reason that they might make that same decision. No, maybe the player is simply doing what they want to do. Maybe, they want to turn the page and focus solely on the next chapter. The next chapter is always exciting and throw in the potential for generational wealth. Don't be surprised if more players in the future are "not available" for a meaningless final game of the season.
To be clear, I don't like it. However, it's not my life. I have no say.
P.S. PSU had a player that chose to sit out the 2020 season although he publicly "considered" coming back for the shortened season. That worked out fine.
The Cotton Bowl is currently on BTN if you want to see said player in one of his best games.
It is their future and I can respect an opt out. That said, if they chose to opt out, then they should not be allowed to travel with team and enjoy the perks at the bowl location. If they are done, they are done. Go ahead and move on and let the next men up enjoy the bowl activities and the game.
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