After his team’s victory, Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart lamented the deterioration of bowl games.
While his team was victorious on Saturday, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart still thinks there are serious problems with the state of bowl games in college football.
For a long time, bowl season was a highlight of the college football season. Teams in the top 10 got one more chance to make their case for the National Championship, and other worthy teams were allowed to extend their season for one more game and get to take part in a regional tradition.
However, since the bowl game schedule has grown to feature a slew of meaningless matchups between weak teams, the value of these games has dwindled in recent years. Not only with fans, but also with athletes. With the status of bowl games declining and the importance of entering the NFL Draft or transfer portal increasing, some bowl games have become laughingstocks in recent years.
And there is no better evidence of that than the Georgia Bulldogs’ 63-3 thrashing of the ACC Champion Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. It was a disappointing finale to a tremendous season for the Seminoles, which should have resulted in a berth in the college football playoffs.
However, after being eliminated from the final four, 23 different FSU players decided that preparing for the draft or transferring to another school was more essential than competing in the 2023 Orange Bowl.
Florida State was missing several of its finest players, including its top two quarterbacks, and while that certainly contributed to Georgia’s comfortable win this weekend, the Bulldogs’ head coach felt bad for the opponent team and supporters. He believes that what transpired in their game is a recurring issue that the college football powers that be must address.