UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A whole lot was made by Penn State players and the media over the weekend about how special it will be to play in the Rose Bowl and, because of that, so many players said they haven't even considered opting out of the game.
"To be able to play in the Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of them all -- one that's had national champions, Heisman Trophy winners, something just as historic as this -- and realistically, maybe the last true Rose as some people are saying, it's an honor, it's a privilege and something that I'm not taking lightly," Sean Clifford said.
"It's pretty good way to end your career here too, right?"
Absolutely. A Rose Bowl appearance would be a tremendous way for just about any college player to end his career, no doubt about it.
Except for college players who already are high NFL draft prospects and have millions of dollars guaranteed to be coming their way in a few months.
For a lot of guys like that, even playing in the Rose Bowl simply is not worth the risk.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is the perfect example. He's projected to be a first-round draft pick -- somewhere around 10th to 15th overall -- and there is no reason whatsoever he should risk any of that to play in any college bowl game, no matter what it is. The College Football Playoff would be a different story, but there could come a point where some healthy draft prospects even decide to skip that, depending on certain factors.
The thing about it is, Penn State doesn't have another player in anything close to Porter's situation. Wide receiver Parker Washington is injured and cannot play in the game, and he's considered a third-round draft pick. If he were healthy, he would have faced a very interesting decision -- protect his decent draft stock or go out and try to improve it against a good Utah defense.
But for all the other players on this Penn State team, they don't really have anywhere near enough draft leverage to think they can just skip a Rose Bowl -- and the opportunity to prove themselves further on a huge stage against a top 10 team.
This isn't like last year, when Penn State had six players opt out of the Outback Bowl. That was a middle-tier bowl, making it a much easier decision. But also, guys like Jahan Dotson, Arnold Ebiketie, Jaquan Brisker and Brandon Smith already had good draft stock, so they faced an easy decision.
That's just not the case this year, outside of Porter.
There is no other Penn State player projected to go higher than the fourth round -- where safety Ji'Ayir Brown is slotted by some -- so in reality, this is a rare bowl game that does bring a greater reward than risk for players projected to go in the lower rounds.
But consider this: If running back Nicholas Singleton or linebacker Abdul Carter were juniors and projected as high draft picks, do you think they would be playing in the Rose Bowl? Not if they're smart, they wouldn't. And if they didn't, absolutely no one should blame them whatsoever, just as no one should blame Porter for his decision to skip this game.
If left tackle Olu Fashanu were coming out this year and slated to go in the first round, do you think he'd be playing in the Rose Bowl? Why would he?
What if Drew Allar was coming out for the draft and was projected to be a first- or second-round pick? Would he play?
It is the granddaddy of them all! And it is a tremendous national stage. None of that would have changed. But c'mon, even all of that doesn't take away from the fact that it's still a -- gulp! -- meaningless bowl game in a lot of ways that could probably only hurt Allar more than it could help, if his draft stock was already cemented.
Wait, did I just call the Rose Bowl a meaningless game? Well, if you're already a first- or second-round draft pick waiting for your millions, it pretty much is.
Let's go back to Kenny Pickett's situation last year for Pitt.
Pickett led the Panthers to a prestigious New Year's Six bowl game -- the Peach Bowl against Michigan State -- but decided to skip the game to prepare for the draft. It didn't seem to bother anyone that Pickett made that decision because he was projected to be a first-round pick, which he was with the Steelers.
But, he skipped a New Year's Six game? A game that meant a great deal to the Pitt program? A game that would wrap up the biggest season for Pitt football in many years?
Who cares? It still, in the grand scheme of things, was one meaningless bowl game. And Pickett had to protect himself and his best interests.
That's just the way it is nowadays, folks. We've gotten here in a hurry, since this phenomenon is a recent one, but we are here to stay.
Remember how Saquon Barkley decided to play for Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl to end the 2017 season? I simply cannot imagine any running back in his position -- a projected top five pick -- would do that again, simply because it's way, way too risky. Sure, we can applaud Saquon for wanting to play one more game with his team, but in all honesty, that's just a bad decision.
Getting back to the Pitt side, the Panthers have had five healthy players (not counting injured Calijah Kancey) opt out of the Sun Bowl against UCLA.
• RB Israel Abanikanda
• LB SirVocea Dennis
• DL Deslin Alexandre
• OL Gabe Houy
• S Brandon Hill
This is the Sun Bowl. It's the epitome of a meaningless bowl game with regards to outcome and overall impact. Sure, the Panthers would like to win and end the season with a five-game winning streak, but it's not like losing the game would be a big blemish on the year.
So, any player with decent draft stock would be wise to skip this game. And guys like Abanikanda and Dennis certainly have hopes of being day two selections in the draft.
Longtime college football fans probably hate all this stuff. They may still hold onto the belief that every game matters and players need to remain committed to their team, their school and their teammates.
OK, but ...
Let's get real here, people.
Football is a vicious sport. A major injury can happen at any time. If a player has already proven enough to lock up some kind of decent draft status, there's just very little to be gained and a whole lot that could be lost by playing in a bowl game.
But ... but ... life isn't all about money!
Sure, it's not. But if you've got millions of dollars waiting for you and all you have to do is stay healthy to get it, then it makes perfect sense to do everything in your power to protect yourself between now and then.
