WHERE ARE ALL THE STAR PLAYERS?

5 Major Football Bowl Games With Key Players Sitting Out — What Is the Solution?

By Bella Nevin|Published on January 2, 2024

Many key players are missing from this year's football bowl games. The only major bowl games with all key players in attendance are the College Football Playoff games. Here is why so many players are missing and who exactly is opting out.

The two main reasons why players are opting out of the football bowl games are the NFL Draft and the transfer portal. Aside from the teams playing in the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl, none of the other teams in bowl games are vying for the national championship.

NFL Draft-eligible players tend to opt out of bowl games to not risk injury. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Mock Draft, Caleb Williams, has opted out of the Holiday Bowl against Louisville. Many players in the transfer portal will decide to opt-out while they are exploring other schools and trying to avoid injury.

What can be changed?

Without the superstars in the lineups for bowl games, viewership for these games decreases. However, there is one change on the horizon that could decrease the number of players opting out: the 12-team CFP format.

Currently, only four teams can earn a bid into the College Football Playoff. Other teams play in bowl games but don't have any chance of winning the national championship. Next season, 8 more teams will play for the championship. This will certainly increase the amount of players playing in the post-season.

Another aspect that keeps players from playing in bowl games is money. Aside from just the competition, superstar players really have no incentive to play in bowl games. If players were to receive some sort of NIL deal for winning their bowl game, surely more players wouldn't opt out.

Here are some of the key players that will be missing from major bowl games:

1. Sun Bowl:

7 players out for Oregon State
- Key players: QB DJ Uiagalelei, LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (lead tackler), S Akili Arnold (second-leading tackler), TE Jack Veiling,
14 opt-outs Notre Dame
- Key players: QB Sam Hartman, TE Mitchell Evans (team leader in receiving yards), RB Audric Estime (leading rusher)
Game ended with Notre Dame winning 40-8.

2. Alamo Bowl

6 opt-outs for Oklahoma
- Key players: QB Dillon Gabriel, RB Tawee Walker, C Andrew Raym
1 opt-out for Arizona
- LT Jordan Morgan
Arizona beat Oklahoma 38-24.

3. Cotton Bowl

14 opt-outs for Ohio State
- Key players: QB Kyle McCord, WR Julian Fleming, WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
No major Missouri players were out for this game.
Missouri beat Ohio State 14-3.

When talking about the lack of opt-outs on his team for the Cotton Bowl, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz talked about how much more there is to football. “It's an opportunity to leave their mark on this university, on the brotherhood, and as a group of men together. So, I think it means a lot to continue to entrench their legacy and what they're able to do.”

4. Orange Bowl

7 Florida State opt-outs
- Key players: RB Trey Benson (leading rusher), QB Tate Rodemaker, WR Keon Coleman (leading receiver), Edge rusher Jared Verse (sack leader)
2 major opt-outs for Georgia
- TE Brock Bowers, OT Amarius Mims
This game ended with Georgia beating Florida State 63-3.

In the post-game conference, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of the opt-outs on the Florida State side, “People need to see what happened tonight, and they need to fix this. It needs to be fixed. It's very unfortunate that they have a good football team and a good football program and they're in the position they're in.”

5. Citrus Bowl

11 Iowa opt-outs
- Key Players: WR Diante Vines, CB Cooper DeJean,
15 Tennessee opt-outs
- Key players: QB Joe Milton, RB Jaylen Wright (leading rusher), S Tamarion McDonald, DE Tyler Baron, DB Wesley Walker
Tennessee beat Iowa 35-0.

One benefit of opt-outs is that viewers get to see brand-new talent. Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava highlighted his excitement before his first college start, “I finally get to go out there and showcase my talents as a starter. It should be fun. It's my first start, and it's going against a top-5 defense, I'm ready for the challenge. And I'm ready to go out there and compete with my brothers.” Iamaleava ended up shining as a rookie quarterback. The freshman rushed for three touchdowns against Iowa and threw for the fourth.

Via the New York Post