Every year there are several teams who should win their bowl game but since they really don't want to be in the bowl game they are they just don't show up for the game. Looking for opinions of local fans of specific teams that are putting off that vibe. Always fun to track these things from a local perspective.
The last time I ran across the "well, they didn't really have anything to play for, so they just showed up" in person was the 2013 Sugar Bowl (Florida v Louisville [Teddy Bridgewater]). I think the plethora of post-season bowl games has watered down the value of playing, and as of now...IMHO...unless you're in the playoffs, which gets all the pub, everything else is meh.
As an awareness, I still have a Sony Walkman Sport that I listen to while walking the hounds around the 'hood. I'm pretty sure I bought that thing back in the early 80's.
They're kids. Most have had a few weeks away from the regimen, it's the holidays, many watched the guy who recruited them and mentored them for several years be shown the door ... let's not overthink this. If you like extra rounds of games, great. If not, the NHL is in full stride now.
I think we just saw an excellent example of this in last week's Las Vegas Bowl. I kept wondering what time Oregon was gonna get off the bus and show-up for the game? They got the coach the players said they wanted for next year and there he and all the players were there physically, but I still don't know where their heads were at? Perhaps had a BIG night down at Slot 'O Fun the night before the game!
Perfect example of what I was saying. We were so not there. Our guy wasn't fired but he fucked over the kids with his equivocation and departure, and Mario only had a relative handful of days to get everyone wrapped around things.
I am getting killed in my bowl pickem’ this year, and it’s not even against the spread. I think @ken2v has it right, they are kids and they respond to things like coaching changes and routines enough to affect the outcome of the game. Heading down next week to bet bowls and my confidence is not high, I am only finding a couple games I like so far, so if any one has a four star lock please let me know, I would be most grateful
One of my daughter’s boyfriends played in a Hawaii Bowl and a New Mexico Bowl and got some really cool stuff in their packages... I can only imagine what they must get at a big bowl. Edit: My son tells me the NCAA imposes a $500 limit on the bowl-swag, so the big bowls must not be a whole lot different. Heaven forbid the NCAA allow the college athletes they make millions off of nice stuff!
While motivation is a factor, I also think it’s a convenient excuse for the loser- and make no mistake, the loser is the only team that you ever hear from. Nobody sits up on the podium afterward saying, “You know, it was a fun win, but we really didn’t want to be here.” IMO, that line of thinking is equivalent to getting dumped and claiming afterward you never liked her anyway. Bob Stoops had some good thoughts about it a few years back when the subject was broached that Alabama might not want to be in the (non BCS Championship) Sugar Bowl because they’re used to playing for championships- guess what, OU was used to playing for titles too- and they kicked Bama’s ass that night. At current, there are probably 8/10 programs that are in the championship-or-bust mode every year- meaning anything below a playoff appearance is an unquestioned failure- and a few of them (USC, OSU, ND, FSU, etc) will not be in the playoff. Go win the damn game anyway.
