Players opting out of bowl games has become a common theme over the past few years. Since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, some of the NFL Draft’s top prospects have decided to sit out of postseason contests and begin training for their professional careers.

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It’s particularly relevant in some of the lower-tier bowl games, which many have termed as “meaningless.” In a recent interview with reporters, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit sounded off on players sitting out.

“You go and you compete your ass off,” Herbstreit said on a media Zoom call with reporters on Monday. “That’s what you do. You got to shake it off and move on to the next game and get the bad taste out of your mouth.”

We’ve already seen plenty of players opt out of games outside of the College Football Playoff this season and in years past. It’s a growing trend that doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.