I was watching the Pop-Tarts Bowl with a couple of buddies the other night (that’s right, I said the Pop-Tarts Bowl), and what was truly noteworthy was how many second and third-string players from both Kansas State and North Carolina State had prominent roles in the outcome of the game.

This was because plenty of first-stringers had decided to opt-out. Why? They had either gone into the transfer portal or, better yet, they were getting an early start on preparation for the NFL Draft.

In other words, they didn’t want to get injured and hurt their chances of being drafted and earning a huge payday.

This is not a new phenomenon, but it is a growing one. Twenty-three Florida State players decided to skip the Orange Bowl vs. Georgia on Saturday afternoon. Part of that was because many were mad that the Seminoles didn’t make the four-team playoff, but prospective pro careers were also a reason.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels decided to skip the Reliaquest Bowl against Wisconsin.

I can name plenty of others who are doing the same thing.

Why risk your NFL future over an exhibition game?

Fair question, but why even have these bowl games if none of them mean anything? Why charge so much for tickets? If you’re a fan of a particular team, why spend so much money on travel expenses to go watch a game involving second and third-string players? I know why, because you care. The passion of a college football fan is perhaps unrivaled in the United States; people will continue to go because they’re just in love with their favorite college football team or their alma mater. Also, you’re not watching second and third-stringers; you’re watching future stars of your team, players who will bring your program glory on Saturday afternoons in the fall.

And you just know the head coaches love these bowl games, even if they’re often without their most important players. A bowl game means another month of practice. It means another month of film study. They get to evaluate these underclassmen and determine how and where they will fit into their program the following season.

It’s like a glorified spring game against a different team.

Besides all of that, the schools get lots of money to play in these games.

There are plenty of reasons to continue to play these games. Gambling is another reason. People love to bet, and with gambling now so readily available in society, all they need is a game and two teams.

I’ll give you all of that.

As the title says, bowl games are now the preseason of college football. Only it’s the postseason or something. Either way, people just love football and will continue to attend these games and watch them on television.

But here’s another question to ponder: What happens if and when players start to opt out of the CFP, which expands to 12 teams in 2024? You might think that’s crazy, but I’ve been around long enough to know that it’s not.

Yes, the NIL has made it so that many college athletes are being paid on par or even more than some NFL players, but professional football is still the better payday overall.

I realize that any player who decides to skip an actual CFP game will subject himself to ridicule and shame by his coaches, teammates and fans. Also, the media would be relentless.

Then again, media comes in many forms nowadays, and there will be enough people–mostly ex-players–who would sympathize with a college athlete’s desire to protect himself for a chance to have a career in the National Football League.

In conclusion, we’re long past the time when college football players were considered to be selfish for skipping bowl games–even New Year’s Six bowls.

We understand it. We accept it. We still watch. We still go to the bowl games because we love our teams so much. They were always just glorified exhibitions, anyway.

But what happens when the stakes are real but the really important players decide to opt-out?

That’s a conversation for a different day, but we’re probably going to have it soon.