Nick Saban calls massive bowl opt out numbers ‘not good for college football’

Nick Saban, Jalen Milroe recap Rose Bowl loss | Alabama Football

Bowl season has become a decision time for athletes in college football in recent years. The transfer portal, NFL Draft declarations and bowl opt-outs are par for the course in today’s landscape.

According to Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who has dealt with a bowl opt-out or two in his day, it’s one of the biggest sore spots that plagues college football on an annual basis.

“I’m all for improving the quality of life of players. I think they do a lot for the university, and I think they should be compensated in some way for that,” Saban said Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show. “But I also think there should be some competitive balance associated with who spends what, what you can pay a player, does anybody have a contract that obligates them to do things?”

Having a contract-based system that could have language written into it that makes the athlete play in their school’s respective bowl game. In any workspace where compensation is warranted, there are certain rules you have to adhere to. In that sense, opting out of the bowl game is the equivalent of a no-call-no show at your regular 9-5.

And what ends up happening? Teams suffer from a talent standpoint, fans have to suffer through what is essentially a junior varsity roster, and in the end, no one wins. Saban gave a specific example to back up his suggestion as well.

“What happened in the Florida State – Georgia game, and Kirby, this happened to him a few years ago when they played Texas, is you’ve got all these guys opt out of the game. That’s not good for college football. It’s not good for bowl games. It’s not good for fans. It’s not good for college football. And I’m not criticizing the players who chose not to do it, but it’s just not good for college football that people aren’t obligated to fulfill some kind of an obligation to their team.

“Every competitive league, every competitive venue has some kind of rules that are guidelines for how we have to treat people and what their obligation is to the team.”

None of that will ever be likely, however. Players who have a future in the NFL won’t want to hurt their stock or injure themselves in a low-stakes bowl game. They will opt out almost every time — and you can’t fault them.

It’s the same reason players decide to enter the transfer portal. They want what’s best for themselves and in turn, their family.