Bowl Season 2021-22

[CoachB]

Crazy to me that teams are opting out saying they don't have enough players to play when they have 60 players available. Last I checked there are only 11 guys on the field on each side of the ball. We won a state title with 22 players, total. I know it makes me sounds old, but refusing to play because 60 guys isn't enough sounds pretty soft. Ok, rant over.

 

[NDdomer2]

Crazy to me that teams are opting out saying they don't have enough players to play when they have 60 players available. Last I checked there are only 11 guys on the field on each side of the ball. We won a state title with 22 players, total. I know it makes me sounds old, but refusing to play because 60 guys isn't enough sounds pretty soft. Ok, rant over.

Maybe it has nothing to do with number of players available but which players are available, or even deeper, a university not even wanting to play and covid is a convenient opt out.

 

[CoachB]

I think your last sentence hit the nail on the head.

 

[NDPhilly]

Remember when every college forced / coerced their extremely low risk students to get vaccinated against their will in order to prevent this? Good times.

 

[IrishLax]

Remember when every college forced / coerced their extremely low risk students to get vaccinated against their will in order to prevent this? Good times.

Yes, "coerced" and "against their will." Two things that totally happened. And we didn't just have an entire season with no COVID until the heavily mutated Omicron variant came along which almost entirely evades the vaccines.

 

[Black Irish]

Crazy to me that teams are opting out saying they don't have enough players to play when they have 60 players available. Last I checked there are only 11 guys on the field on each side of the ball. We won a state title with 22 players, total. I know it makes me sounds old, but refusing to play because 60 guys isn't enough sounds pretty soft. Ok, rant over.

Insert "Get off my lawn!" gif from "Grand Torino" in 3,2,1...

 

[zelezo vlk]

I am actually interested in what prevents the team from playing with 60 available players. I'm sure there's a legit reason, but unless the whole O line or D line is out, I'm kinda blanking on what would do it. Certainly something that I never even thought about before.

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[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I am actually interested in what prevents the team from playing with 60 available players. I'm sure there's a legit reason, but unless the whole O line or D line is out, I'm kinda blanking on what would do it. Certainly something that I never even thought about before.

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My guess: coaches are risk averse and don't want to have the result of a game hanging around their neck because they are starting two OL who haven't seen the field all year or playing without a kicker. In a couple weeks all anybody will remember is the bowl game result without any context.

 

[zelezo vlk]

My guess: coaches are risk averse and don't want to have the result of a game hanging around their neck because they are starting two OL who haven't seen the field all year or playing without a kicker. In a couple weeks all anybody will remember is the bowl game result without any context.

Hmm. I'm just thinking of the coaches now. I suppose there's always the possibility of enough of them contracting COVID or even the support/logistics staff and not being able to even get everything to the Bowl.

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[NDPhilly]

Yes, "coerced" and "against their will." Two things that totally happened. And we didn't just have an entire season with no COVID until the heavily mutated Omicron variant came along which almost entirely evades the vaccines.

If you think 100% of college students were willingly going to get vaccinated, I have a bridge to sell you. Notre Dame, like most other private schools and many public schools, mandated it for students. They have now mandated boosters for all students...even though the vaccine/boosters are largely ineffective against Omicron infection. Certainly feels like coercion to me idk.

Breakthrough cases were happening across sports prior to Omicron being prominent. A winter wave of cases was inevitable in the North regardless, it was just "worsened" (case-wise) by Omicron.

Regardless, unlike the University, Notre Dame Football is going about this the right way. Like others mentioned, schools like Texas A&M would rather forfeit with 60 players than face a potential embarrassment on national TV. There's no need to test asymptomatic players at this point. My guess would be that most lightly symptomatic players are going to hide their symptoms as well.

 

[IrishLax]

If you think 100% of college students...

Didn't say that, but I don't know of a single ND football player who gave a single shit about being "coerced" into getting vaccinated. Feelings probably ranged between enthusiastic and apathetic. I obviously can't vouch for the feelings of every player on the roster, but certainly no one made a public stink about it nor asked to not get it, and no one complained privately either AFAIK.

 

[IrishBoognish]

They were also "coerced" into making good grades, running gassers, fulfilling a 2nd language requirement... Theyre also "coerced" to eat a certain diet, workout a certain way, and maintain their health to a standard someone else decided on... and oh... theres more.

They were coerced into following the rules of the university and the standards of the football program. The only ones i see moaning about it have anonymous handles on message boards.

 

[Riddickulous]

Assuming they aren't all cancelled, we'll be getting to the good bowl games this week. Looking forward to some of these matchups.

 

[IrishLax]

Assuming they aren't all cancelled, we'll be getting to the good bowl games this week. Looking forward to some of these matchups.

Which are your favorite games? Personally, I'm super bummed that TAMU and Wake Forrest was cancelled... was really looking forward to that one.

 

[Riddickulous]

Which are your favorite games? Personally, I'm super bummed that TAMU and Wake Forrest was cancelled... was really looking forward to that one.

The Carolinas in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, Penn St/Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, and the Rose Bowl are the most interesting to me. And of course the playoffs.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Which are your favorite games? Personally, I'm super bummed that TAMU and Wake Forrest was cancelled... was really looking forward to that one.

I was kinda thinking that the Aggies would destroy Wake Forest. Did y'all feel differently?

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[yankeehater]

If Nevada can play in their bowl game, then anyone can. Their head coach bolted plus most of the assistants, the starting QB opted out to prepare for the draft, 9 players transferred following the coach, plus several others entered the portal (their top 4 WR's in an air raid offense) yet they are still playing. Sucks it is not a true representation of their regular season, but the remaining players chose to play. Good for them and I feel they are better for doing it.

 

[Irish#1]

Hmm. I'm just thinking of the coaches now. I suppose there's always the possibility of enough of them contracting COVID or even the support/logistics staff and not being able to even get everything to the Bowl.

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Game cancelled because the student manager responsible for the footballs has COVID. lol

 

[IrishLax]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/brucefeldmancfb/status/1475923424069390336?s=21[/TWEET]

Another one bites the dust. Seems crappy to me that the reason is “we don’t have enough DL”… like I refuse to believe that they don’t have at least four healthy bodies there.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

The literal meaning of "decimated" is losing one in ten so they should be good to go.

 

[CoachB]

S-E-C, S-E-C. Gotta say, it doesn't break my heart to see the always overrated SEC 0-3 in bowl games so far.

 

[irishog77]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/brucefeldmancfb/status/1475923424069390336?s=21[/TWEET]

Another one bites the dust. Seems crappy to me that the reason is “we don’t have enough DL”… like I refuse to believe that they don’t have at least four healthy bodies there.

In some of the statements from schools announcing their cancelations, they also mentioned not having players due to injuries and the transfer portal. I haven't seen any statements admit they were also going to lose money by sending their team, coaches, administrators, band, cheerleaders, etc. to play in a crappy bowl game in some city that will have 8,700 in attendance. I'd have more respect if they mentioned this, instead of blaming it all on covid.

This is a total BS move by ucla. They literally cancelled the game a few hours before kickoff. So they had enough guys to play the game at 11:55am local time, but didn't at noon? This should at least be a forfeit.

 

[NDRock]

In some of the statements from schools announcing their cancelations, they also mentioned not having players due to injuries and the transfer portal. I haven't seen any statements admit they were also going to lose money by sending their team, coaches, administrators, band, cheerleaders, etc. to play in a crappy bowl game in some city that will have 8,700 in attendance. I'd have more respect if they mentioned this, instead of blaming it all on covid.

This is a total BS move by ucla. They literally cancelled the game a few hours before kickoff. So they had enough guys to play the game at 11:55am local time, but didn't at noon? This should at least be a forfeit.

Yeah. It's amusing how much angst everyone has when a player "opts out" for financial reasons. These schools are essentially doing the same thing, yet I don't see quite the outrage from everyone.

 

[BleedingGold]

"0-2 after the superior SEC faces the likes of UCF and Army in bowl games. Tack on the cowardliness of Texas A&M for opting not to delay their game but just quit and we are seeing the cream of the conferences exert their dominance over college football. What a complete joke!"

Make that 0-3. Another loss and this time to a team to one of the scary second-class conferences. Hey but at least Miss State is playing a crappy Texas Tech team tonight so maybe the SEC can actual finally win a bowl tonight!

SEC: Cream at the top being held up by a lot of very poor teams this year.

 

[T-Boone]

Wow the SEC sucks.

 

[drayer54]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/uhcougarfb/status/1475927009834323968?s=21[/TWEET]

 

[Dale]

Leach in Bowl games is one of the few consistencies of bowl season

 

[Irish#1]

SEC got spanked again with Miss St losing badly to Texas Tech. Brady Quin was ragging on them this morning.

NC State looking for a team to replace UCLA. Wolfpack is not happy

While Doeren described his players’ mindset as sad, mad and angered during a team meeting after the announcement, he felt that UCLA could have done a better job handling the situation.

“Felt lied to ... We felt like UCLA probably knew something was going on with their team and didn’t tell anybody. On our side, we had know clue what they were up against that. I don’t think it was very well handled from their university.

 

[NDdomer2]

So I have been wondering, are we going to see commitment contracts to accepting bowl game invitations. Putting teams on the hook financially for some of the costs of game set up if cancelling after x date etc.

 

[BleedingGold]

There is a chance, if Oregon can find a way to revive their season today and Clemson continues to play better ball, that as I lay my head on my old crusty pillow tonight, the SEC will be the only bowl conference without a win this season.