Kirk Herbstreit claims players ‘don’t love football’ amid opt-out of bowling

The modern era of college football is facing a number of problems, especially with NFL qualifying players opting out of bowl games in preparation for the draft process.

That phenomenon became the subject of discussion on Saturday’s episode of ESPN’s “College GameDay,” in which analyst Kirk Herbstreit declared the modern era of college football players “just doesn’t matter.” love football.”

THAN: Peach Bowl CEO Talks Decline, Expansion, and the Future of Bowl Experience

Herbstreit and fellow analyst Desmond Howard have warned of a recent trend of players opting out of bowl games, comparing it to their playing days when bowls were seen as a reward for playing seasons. good. Both analysts describe modern players as “entitled,” adding that many players simply don’t value the bowls as much if they don’t play in the College Rugby Round.

THAN: Updated list of college football stars who skipped the bowl game

If Herbstreit and Howard are unhappy that players no longer appreciate bad games, they can blame their own networks. The ESPN network group, which has near-exclusive coverage of the bleak season, also has exclusive rights to broadcast the knockout match. The network has gone to great lengths in marketing to portray the knockout as the biggest, most important and most meaningful aspect of the sport.

That has been reflected since the start of the season, but takes on greater importance as it moves toward the first set of College Football Playoff rankings, selection Sunday and national championship games. The four-team playoff exclusivity was a contributing factor, though Herbstreit mentioned that he didn’t know if the playoff expansion would increase player engagement.

Herbstreit later apologized for his comments, saying he didn’t mean to lump every player together in a generic statement. That said, he hasn’t backed down from the point he intended to make: that not every player loves the game of football as much as previous generations did.

THAN: Mike Leach of Mississippi is upset with the option not to enter the bowling game

Hebrstreit and Howard aren’t the only ones to criticize players who choose to focus on the NFL over their team’s poor games. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach called the practice “one of the biggest absurdities I’ve ever seen.”

“You have an obligation to the place that helped build and grow you and fulfill it in the bowl,” said Leach, via Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.). “That’s part of it. You owe it to your team, you owe it to the fans, you owe it to your coach and that’s the weirdest thing in the world for me.”

That said, college football is a sport that has always allowed coaches flexibility and mobility, and is experimenting with NIL pay-as-you-go players for the first time this season. . It is only true that players are allowed the same options to prioritize themselves, especially when millions of potential dollars are on the way.