Entering the Alamo Bowl, the Arguments for Opting Out or In

When they remember this Alamo, no one will give much thought to Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson or DeMarvion Overshown.

Two Texas running backs and an outside linebacker.

By all accounts, they've uttered those two not-so-magical words heading into the Longhorns' Dec. 29 bowl outing against the University of Washington in San Antonio that are viewed either as an extended stain on college football's postseason or a necessary caution to protect an expensive investment.

Opt out.

Now you can take one of two stances on this particular hot-button issue that has compelled draft-worthy players to skip what should be a reward for all of the players, coaches and fans involved. Instead, this practice has become a disheartening disconnect that, in some cases, wipes out any chance for a team winning the game.

Eleven days before kickoff, the UW has reported no opt-outs. The Huskies will be at full strength throughout its opening lineup, a situation notably aided by the very draftable Michael Penix Jr.'s startling decision to return for the 2023 season at quarterback.

The Longhorns reportedly will show up without their consensus first-team, All-America running back in Robinson, a 1,580-yard and 18-touchdown rusher from Tucson, Arizona, and his reliable back-up in Johnson, a 563-yard and 5-TD contributor from Port Arthur, Texas.

You don't think the Texas offense doesn't change dramatically overnight without those two players available?

Consider that second-year Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian will have to look for a replacement from a tailback talent pool that now doesn't have a rusher with more than 24 carries this season.

The former UW leader took the high road when asked about the likelihood of Robinson not joining everyone in uniform at the Alamodome.

"Bijan, he loves the University of Texas," Sarkisian said at an Alamo Bowl news conference. "It’s not something like, well, it’s kind of; no, he loves it, he loves this place. For him to decide, do I leave early to go to the NFL or not, I mean, that is a tough decision, that’s heavy on anybody. So we try to help him, support him the best we can.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban, who employed Sarkisian as his offensive coordinator before the Texas job opened up, isn't quite so agreeable on this situation.

Noting how college players indicate they're skipping the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft, Saban wonders why playing in a postseason game isn't the best way to ready themselves for pro football, to add value to how they're perceived.

On the other side of the argument, of course, is this: the college game is so violent at all times and there is potentially so much money at stake for players making it in the NFL that it's hard to berate someone for taking the safe way out and protecting his physical investment. Yet it doesn't always guarantee advancement.

Former UW offensive tackle Trey Adams and tight end Hunter Bryant were the last two Huskies to opt out of the postseason, choosing not to play in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State.

However, neither player ultimately was drafted, only Bryant got a regular-season taste of the NFL as a free agent and both guys now are out of football.

Adams simply wasn't going to win in his bid to to make millions in the NFL, no matter what he did. Widely considered a top 10 pick and the most draftable player from the Pac-12 as a sophomore after helping his team qualify for the College Football Playoff in 2016, the UW's all-conference left tackle suffered crippling injuries in each of the ensuing seasons and that robbed him of his football health and untold riches.

Players opting out has become a big concern for the different games out there, particularly in the promotion of these events to the masses, one bowl representative called a Husky beat writer — full disclosure, that was me — seeking intel on whether Penix likely would skip out on his bowl game or play.

The bowl official emphasized the quarterback's availability surely was going to have an impact on him and his group in extending a postseason invitation to the UW. They didn't want the Huskies without him.

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