Orange Watch: What would the reaction be if a Syracuse player sat out a bowl game?

Ishmael_VT1
Ishmael has never played in a bowl game
Ishmael_VT1
What if a key Syracuse player sat out a bowl game?

Item: How much does it bother you that for a third straight elongated bowl game season there’s not even room at the table for a Syracuse program? Yes, it has to be earned and the 2016 squad came up a tad short, while the non-conference schedule has to be adjusted moving forward to level the playing field to gain a minimum of six victories.

But with no disrespect intended, it’s hard looking at the matchups and seeing plenty of programs (USTA, Appalachian St, Arkansas State) with a lot less tradition and success than SU enjoying all the bowl game trappings.

Heck, with Eastern Michigan’s basketball team playing in the Dome Monday night, it got us thinking about Eastern Michigan’s 7-5 football team playing in the Bahamas Bowl Friday afternoon where it will be sunny and 80 degrees in Nassau, while the Orange football program was one of just three in the 14 team ACC to stay home this bowl season. Ouch.

» Related: Dino Babers was never leaving Syracuse football

Item:  With the recent announcements that running backs Leonard Fournette of LSU (Citrus) and Christian McCaffrey of Stanford (Sun) will not play in their school’s upcoming respective bowl games to remove the risk of injury and plummeting in next April’s NFL Draft, how would you feel if it occurred within the ‘Cuse program?

Let’s say, hypothetically, of course, if Syracuse had qualified for the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit to play (ironically, this season) Maryland the day after Christmas, and WR Amba Etta-Tawo decided not to play to avoid the risk of injury and hurting his draft position, would you as an Orange fan be upset or not? (Let us know below.)

The 2016 season could mark a milestone as a turning point for many more likely high first round picks putting their professional aspirations ahead of the program that recruited them to play college football.

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About Brad Bierman 848 Articles
Now in his sixth decade of covering SU sports, Brad was sports director of WSYR radio for eight years into the early 1990s, then wrote the Orange Watch column for The Big Orange/The Juice print publication for 18 years. A Syracuse University graduate, Brad currently runs his own media consulting business in the Philadelphia suburbs. Follow him on Twitter @BradBierman.