VTTW Board Index

....this guy opts out for the tiglets.

That's probably a good trade.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35245782/clemson-myles-murphy-skipping-orange-bowl-enter-draft (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35245782/clemson-myles-murphy-skipping-orange-bowl-enter-draft)

Hyatt too  :rolleyes:

congrats and good luck, Godspeed to both.  With the playoffs expanding, bowl games are gonna start shifting back more to the "reward for a good season" and away from the "critical season ending matchup".  Sad to see but that is pretty much the price for playoffs - the bowls are minimized a little bit.  Way BITD, bowl games did not even count in the final polls.  Eh, we are moving back in that direction.

Another big reason the playoffs need to be expanded. Bowls now are just getting ready for next year and missing players for opt outs and portal transfers. They are nothing now but a scrimmage.

I think I am good with that.  Let them be exhibitions and let the players have fun.  Let some of them that need time on the field, get time on the field.  And give the good teams that reward of extended practice, free food & fun, and a little glamour. 

I understand it, but if I’m completely honest I don’t really like it.

In Tillman’s case, it is easier to take because of his lingering injury. I’m not a “hater” of players who opt out, but it does seem somewhat like quitting on the team to me.

I guess it makes me look like a jerk, but I don't really think it should be viewed as acceptable. I'm not a fan of it in any way, shape or form. I hear the argument "what if they get hurt in the bowl game?" And that's true. But what if they get hurt in a regular season game? Once Tennessee lost to South Carolina and was knocked out of the playoff hunt, was the Vanderbilt game really any more or less important than a bowl game? Once a team loses 7 games and is mathematically eliminated from bowl eligibility, is it acceptable for players to sit out the rest of the season? Because I think that's where we're headed next. Heck, we're already there. So much talk about expanding the playoffs because bowls have become unimportant ... yet Ohio State is without a key player for the playoffs because he opted out. It's not okay. What would we think of a high school player who opts out of his senior season after receiving a P5 offer? He would be viewed as quitting on his team, and rightfully so.

(I also see people saying that players shouldn't be expected to be loyal to the team when coaches aren't loyal. I agree that both should be held to the same standard. Coaches who take a job at another school should be expected to have enough integrity to stick around for the bowl game and finish what they've started.)

Bottom line: We as a society have stopped holding people to any sort of standard and that manifests itself in college football. Players today are a different breed — all about themselves, not about the team or the school at all. Can you imagine Peyton Manning opting out of the Orange Bowl 25 years ago to avoid getting hurt and costing himself a shot at being the top player taken in the draft? No way he would've even considered it — and he actually had a legitimate excuse (was far less than 100% for that game).

I see why they do it, but doesn't mean I like it. Why play through the whole season and have a great season just to opt out of the reward for the great season. I'm sure the ones that are left to play the bowl game aren't overjoyed either. They should not guarantee NIL money and have a rule that you have to play in the post season games as well to collect.

I'm also against expanding the playoffs to 12 teams. This will mean some 3 loss teams will get in the playoffs. Why? They have already proven they are not one of the best teams. They have a hard enough time getting competitive games with 4 teams, how will teams 8-12 make it any better? I see even more blowouts. But it will be fun to see peoples heads explode when the SEC gets about 5 teams in it. Get Off My Lawn.

I'm old school...I was brought up to finish what you started. IMO it's quitting on your team and teammates. They going to live in a bubble the next several months...not drive...ride in a vehicle ..walk down the street and get shot at? Its quitting anyway you look at it. Its what society has deemed as ok the past several years that it's OK to quit and give everyone a trophy.

Remember when players got Lloyds of London policies against injury?

Yep. It was pretty common.