At what point is it too much?

exhibition games where the only ones that really matter are the playoff games. The rest is just entertainment or an excuse to not have to interact with annoying relatives over the holidays lol.

 

I’m Definitely torn on it too. It’s noble they want to finish what they started and want to suit up as a Gator one more time. so don’t want to tell them they can’t, especially if they give us the best chance to win and definitely ones that have graduated.

On the other hand would like the guys who will be on the team next year to get the reps/snaps and would worry some might make “business decisions”

 

And about 20 of those 26 contributed nothing all year so what’s your point.

 

Let the guys that declared or entered the portal play the first half as a swan song. Then use the second half as a scrimmage for the players coming back.

 

I mean I think the coaching staff has thought this one through and if the only option is a guy in the portal vs a very green freshman or walkon I'll take the portal guy every time. If wins and losses didn't matter I'm sure we would've played more young guys with a future but that's not how things work.

 

It's a balancing act. I'm sure the staff wants to play as many youngsters as possible without sacrificing a shot at wins.

Every win adds to the goodwill bank which helps recruiting and lowers the temperature surrounding them.

OTOH, if you sell out too much for early success, like Mac and Mullen did, it bites you in the butt in future years.

 

I would be wary of taking a bowl game too lightly. It's a lasting impression, and the last chance your fans -- boosters and supporters -- have to see your team before the 9-month abyss. Boosters who pay to travel, pay hotel bills, are also the ones who make donations and alienating them comes with quite a risk.

The embarrassing performance at the Orange Bowl was the real start to Mullen's demise. And while the Las Vegas Bowl isn't the OB, fans, recruits and boosters will be watching. I'd hope Napier takes it seriously as a game and not just a scrimmage at the end of a few weeks of practices, Those kinds of memories linger, even when good sense suggests they shouldn't.

 

There are no few weeks of practice, 1 week with a few 2 a days thrown in. And if you haven't read the impact on the roster article on the front page, it will be a task for the staff just to put together enough players for a meaningful practice.
No one should be holding the outcome of this game against the staff.

 

No such thing as a meaningless bowl game

 

Most everyone realizes we are significantly short handed this game. We still will be able to field a pretty good team but handicapped by a lack of depth and possibly chemistry because of adjusted lineups.
No matter what happens on the field or what the results are, we cannot quit or “give up”. The last regime didn’t prioritize that but, this one seems to get it.

 

Well, I'm just glad to learn that we have a QB for the game. It was looking like we'd need to drag someone out of the stands to play. If Miller can play a decent game, we've got a chance.

 

Some of these guys need a great game to make the top 3 rounds any way. I don't see a single player worth the 1st 2 rounds other than Torrence. When I look at what they compare to in the draft, I just don't see why some are going early.

But this isn't going to stop anytime soon. Bowls are going to need a rule that requires teams to retain their team roster or risk not getting an invite. The question is, do you want to pay for filet mignon but get chopped liver or do you want filet mignon? It's not fair to the fans to watch a team that couldn't beat the cheerleader powder puff football team without their biggest playmakers. Fans will start making decisions. I know I have. I will never attend another Gator bowl game until I know for sure the majority of the team is playing UNLESS it's here in the Birmingham Bowl where I always can get free tickets. I can't see blowing thousands of dollars on tickets, transportation, hotels, and game day stuff only to watch a team that couldn't beat UMass even if UMass coughed up the ball 6 times. I'll gladly pay for Spring game tickets but not waste money on meaningless bowl games where half the starters aren't playing.

So imagine this - Georgia vs OSU. Great game on paper. Except Stroud and Bennett opt not to play to protect their draft status. Not just from injury but from a bad performance. Would you, as a fan, watch the game? I wouldn't. It's not going to be the same teams at this point. It'll come down to whose backup is better. That's just one player from each. Now imagine Georgia's top 3 players opting out. Now it changes the dynamics of the CFP. There will be asterisk next to the game, that the starters opted out of the CFP. What if TCU won because they didn't have any players sit out? Another asterisk that TCU played against teams that sat most of their top players. But we are headed for that. It used to be that no one sat for a bowl game, but now these players are sitting out by the droves. I think it's time to end the bowl games if this continues or gets worse. I could even see ending the CFP altogether if key players opt out. It's not the same team. If the committee now takes into account key injuries, they need to start adding key players sitting out to their formula. If a team has too many key players opting out, bump them down and replace with a team that has the majority of their starters.

 

We know this, the rest of the country really doesn't.

 

How does a team FORCE players to play?

 

I'm not sure you can really. But something will have to be done because it will get worse. And I'm not wasting good money watching the freshmen team play in a bowl game where the other team brings their varsity squad. Either they require bowl participation or they cut costs dramatically for the bowl games. Gone are the days people are going to spend $10K on a family attending a bowl game where the majority of the starters that got them there aren't playing.

 

You forgot to mention how you left it in God's hands.