Fagnano and Bell are out for the Wasabi Bowl | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Fagnano and Bell are out for the Wasabi Bowl

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king conn said:
Cry me a river

2 players opt out, one it is totally understandable, and it's the end of the freaking world. What if 5 or 10 opt out? If you are a true Uconn fan, you would look at this as an opportunity to see what we have for next year. A preview perhaps. Or see where we need to attack the portal.
I'll tell you what, our new coach would much rather see this than watch 2 guys who will never spend a second under his regime.

I for one would love to see if we have the potential QB for next year on the roster or not.
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A lot of people will have to turn in their "true fan" badges.
 
Samoo said:
Ah, I don't know, maybe, if they get injured, a chance for a multi-million $ professional contract...

Would you be willing to risk foregoing life-changing wealth to play in a bowl game that doesn't honestly mean that much?
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They both played hard and well at Florida Atlantic 3 weeks ago. I need someone to explain to me why that's a risk no one worries about and playing one additional game a month later is worth worrying about. Because I don't get it.

(And athletes can use the money they're getting and insure themselves against serious injury, but that's a topic for another day.)
 
I was born in the 1950s (late 50s, but still). I grew up with the rah-ray sis-boom-bah, win one for old Whatsamatta U attitude. Try as I might, I can't project those feelings onto today's athletes. I can, and mostly do, still feel the same way but everything is different for the athletes. I don't blame them, we made it a business, they're making business decisions. Maybe it's time to start rooting for Yale...
 
businesslawyer said:
They both played hard and well at Florida Atlantic 3 weeks ago. I need someone to explain to me why that's a risk no one worries about and playing one additional game a month later is worth worrying about. Because I don't get it.

(And athletes can use the money they're getting and insure themselves against serious injury, but that's a topic for another day.)
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Speak for yourself, I'm sure Skyler Bell's family was concerned during the FAU game. Remember when Bosa opted out of the majority Ohio State's season when he knew he secured a top pick in the draft.

You ask what has changed? Have you been sleeping for a month?
 
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mauconnfan said:
cenAnd everyone wonders why Notre Dame isn’t going to a bowl. Why would you unless it’s the playoffs, they don’t mean squat any more and no kid looking to play next level would be dumb enough to participate and get hurt. Don’t blame them at all.
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Yeah, except why play the game before the bowl game? You can get hurt on the first play of the season. College sports are pretty much a mess. Too easy to transfer, too easy to sit out with no consequence. UConn is especially vulnerable. No league and we aren’t ND.
 
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Don't know if Fagnano or Bell have agents, but a poor showing in a bowl game could potentially impact their draft status

With the coaching turnover, it probably just feels inconsistent. The possibility of playing in foul weather and taking a chance of getting hurt is also a risk.

I wish they were playing, but I understand their potential concerns
 
On the plus side we get a look at Evers for next year and maybe one or two of the other guys. Unfortunately, Army will be at full strength because nobody from there can go in the portal and there is nobody preserving their draft stock, but that's the way it goes.
 
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The whole system is a colossal mess. Not sure what the right thing to do is at this point.

On one side, what's the point of going to watch your school in a bowl game if the coach & players who got you there all bail on you?

On the other side, the bowl era looks to be disintegrating fast before our eyes with all that's happening with college sports now, and if this happens to be the last bowl that UConn plays in for the foreseeable future, then I want to be there to support the UConn program and university, even if the game itself is reduced to a watered-down exhibition.

Already bought my ticket. I'll still try to go. But this situation really sucks.
 
BugsyCT said:
The whole system is a colossal mess. Not sure what the right thing to do is at this point.

On one side, what's the point of going to watch your school in a bowl game if the coach & players who got you there all bail on you?

On the other side, the bowl era looks to be disintegrating fast before our eyes with all that's happening with college sports now, and if this happens to be the last bowl that UConn plays in for the foreseeable future, then I want to be there to support the UConn program and university, even if the game itself is reduced to a watered-down exhibition.

Already bought my ticket. I'll still try to go. But this situation really sucks.
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I'll buy you a slushy beer
 
Anyone know if any of the guys in the portal are going to play? I hope so or our O-Line will be woefully down.
 
metsfan2323 said:
Opting out of bowl games has become normalized. Coaches are gone, players have entered the portal. A month goes by between games. It feels like two different seasons.
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Yes, but it seems to me that the season long goal is to get to the post season. This is only a little tongue in cheek, but the record becomes a bit inconsequential if it’s all about the health of the individual rather than team and program goals. The only thing that would mean anything is each game in isolation. The post season obviously is not a goal of a lot of these kids (or their agents) Imagine a Super Bowl team with a lot of pending free agents who could opt out of playing because they might get hurt.
 
Palatine said:
courant -Cam in portal.
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giddyup said:
That absolutely sucks. Bought tickets and now screwed.
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I live here in Boston and I didn't purchase tickets for this reason. I was at the Fenway Bowl last year and enjoyed my time there as the game was entertaining. However, I was fairly sure that Bell and Fagnano wouldn't play and I can't really blame them, especially Bell who is projected to be drafted in the top 3 rounds if I am not mistaken. Also, I was not convinced the majority of the starters would be playing this time around.

I might still purchase tickets-I have not ruled it out, but I certainly was not eager or in a rush to do so.
 
metsfan2323 said:
Speak for yourself, I'm sure Skyler Bell's family was concerned during the FAU game. Remember when Bosa opted out of the majority Ohio State's season when he knew he secured a top pick in the draft.

You ask what has changed? Have you been sleeping for a month?
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I'm sure it's me, but I don't see an answer to the question. They played against FAU. It has been stated above (I'm still waiting to see something from at least a reporter before assuming it's true) that they're not going to play now. What has changed RELATED TO THE RISK OF INJURY? Yes, I know the coach has left but why does that increase the risk of injury beyond any of the games they were happily playing in?
 
Hoophound said:
I think the NCAA could mandate that players play in bowl games as part of their NIL contracts. I don’t see how it would meet institutional resistance. It benefits everyone except the player that doesn’t want to play. Frankly, the players have plenty now. It’s time to start worrying about the actual paying fans again.

Without those guys playing, we have no chance to win the game and we will likely have a poor fan showing too. Why play the game? Oh, because the schools and everyone associated with the bowl get a paycheck and the fans can still be guilted into wasting their money on a garbage game. I’d go if I lived in Boston, that’s about it. No point showing up to watch our second and third string get run over by Army in the cold. It just isn’t fair to the fans.
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I live in Boston and went last year and enjoyed my time in the Fenway Bowl. Even before the bowl game announcements I had my doubts that I would attend because I know for sure certain starters would not deem it worth the time and risk of injury to go. The only reason why I might attend is because the game is here in my backyard so to speak, but even then I might decline.
 
SwingDog said:
Does anyone else feel this bowl game is rather anticlimactic? With the departure of our head coach, interim head coach, and several players, and after a long break (it will be over a month since the FAU game), it feels like all momentum from a successful season is gone and that the game is pointless. It doesn't even feel like the same team. Who will be handling head coaching duties? I know it's a business, but this all really puts a damper on things.
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Meme Reaction GIF by Robert E Blackmon
 
UConnTrumbull said:
The best idea really is a Week 0 bowl game. Or just add a 13th regular season game and replace bowls altogether besides CFP.
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I think this idea is the best one. Week 0. Make it like basketball with the preseason tournaments they have. Still make a bowl based on prior year eligibility. However it’s still a win for the teams. Real game action before the season starts. We talk about extra weeks of practice - make it extra weeks preseason so teams have an advantage going into the season. Helps for the at large bids if you win. So making a good bowl against a potentially good or named opponent only helps.
 
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Also a win for fans because planning travel two weeks before when you are just learning bowl location sucks and it’s expensive. But knowing where a neutral site game is going to be next year makes it so much easier. Not to mention if it’s not coinciding with holidays maybe more people attend…
 
SwingDog said:
Does anyone else feel this bowl game is rather anticlimactic? With the departure of our head coach, interim head coach, and several players, and after a long break (it will be over a month since the FAU game), it feels like all momentum from a successful season is gone and that the game is pointless. It doesn't even feel like the same team. Who will be handling head coaching duties? I know it's a business, but this all really puts a damper on things.
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I think they bring in the water boy as interim coach.
 
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