Bowl season continues; did somebody forget to tell the players? … Remember that last year one of the big stories regarding the non-playoff bowl games was how many leading draft prospects opted not to play. So far this year it hasn’t been quite the same story. Until today! There are, for example, 5 games on Friday’s bowl schedule, but very few top players from any of the teams will actually be playing. In fact, Syracuse QB Kyle McCord and TE Orande Gadsen, whose Orange faces Washington State in tonight’s Holiday Bowl just maybe the only name players suiting up in any of today’s games. WSU sophomore QB John Mateer, for example, has already transferred to Oklahoma. Indeed, Mateer may actually be at Armed Services Bowl which gets underway in just under an hour with the Sooners playing Navy; OU though will be without its two top prospects in LB Danny Stustman and S Billy Bowman. Its even worse perhaps at the Las Vegas Bowl between USC and Texas A&M as the two QBs fo the respective teams (Miller Moss and Connor Weigman) have also transferred already, while the Aggies will also be without defensive line stars Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner. Same in the Liberty Bowl where the top players – Arkansas DE Landon Jackson and Tech RB Tahj Brooks – are not playing.
All is not lost, though, as the top two QBs in this year’s draft class – Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Miami’s Cam Ward – will play in tomorrow’s games. Ward and the Canes face Iowa State in the Pop-tarts Bowl at 3:30 PM ET on ABC, while Sanders and the Buffs face BYU in the Alamo Bowl at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.
