College Football

NFL Draft prospects and the question of bowl game participation

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:01 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Zach Bigalke/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey skipped their respective schools" bowl games. Why should top NFL prospects keep participating in bowl games?

Back in December, the questions raged as to whether the decision to skip postseason appearances would hurt the draft stock of NFL prospects Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey. Last Thursday, Fournette went fourth overall in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Four spots later, McCaffrey was selected by the Carolina Panthers.

It has raised questions as to whether college football stars should ever participate in another bowl game. The anecdotal evidence is in. That evidence seems to support the contention that neither Fournette nor McCaffrey hurt his draft stock by avoiding their respective bowl games.

Certainly there are some cases where bowl participation helps NFL prospects. Deshaun Watson, who went 12th overall to the Houston Texans, helped his NFL prospects by winning the College Football Playoff. But in general playoff participation didn't help other Clemson stars or players on Alabama's finalist squad.

One could also look at the elimination of such events as the Poinsettia Bowl as a sign that these made-for-TV events are largely irrelevant when it comes to pro scouting. Not only are they expensive, but they also offer a limited benefit to individuals or schools who participate.

As much as I love college football, this begs a few questions. Does bowl participation really matter to NFL success? Should college football worry about the demise of its postseason largesse as the College Football Playoff and New Year's Six bowl games take up a preeminent spot on the bowl calendar?

Then again, that begs a few more questions. Is college football only about whether a player can make the NFL? For the top NFL prospects, the chance to go pro is critical to one's decisions. For someone whose collegiate career is the terminus of that tired NCAA trope that "most of their athletes go pro in something other than sports," a bowl game can be that last moment riding off into the sunset of a memorable collegiate experience.

As someone who has advocated for union rights among college athletes, it is hard to rectify that stance. But as someone who has also worked in University Archives and dealt with the history that is entailed in every game, I also know that the most random of games can have lasting historical power.

Should every player participate in a bowl game that could cap his collegiate career prior to going professional? Certainly not. McCaffrey and Fournette demonstrated that, if you are talented enough, there is no harm in skipping that game. But not every athlete has that motivation behind such a decision. Not everyone, by the nature of the system, can go pro in athletic competition, be it football or any other sport.

The key in the recent Deadspin post is right in the headline: everyone defines the term "meaningless" in their own ways. Fans will continue to care about getting to see their team in a new location against an unexpected opponent. Coaches' bonuses will still be determined by such appearances, and whether the game ends in a win or a loss.

And it stands to reason that not every player will deem a bowl appearance meaningless. Stanford still managed to prevail in the Sun Bowl. LSU crushed Louisville in the Citrus Bowl. Both schools survived the loss of their stars, as every school must sooner or later. College football will go on, regardless of the calculus which every player must make for himself.

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