The Pinstripe Bowl has no effect on the 2018 national championship. The Miami Hurricanes and Wisconsin Badgers both underachieved this campaign, and their postseason reward is a trip to Yankee Stadium in potentially bitter cold just two days after Christmas.
And the winner? Well, congrats on an eighth victory.
While that pessimistic view is a prevailing one for the "too many bowls" crowd, these exhibitions are anything but meaningless for players returning to college football next year.
Valuable extra practices will put position battles and potential replacements for outgoing talent on display.
Now that players can appear in four games without sacrificing a year of eligibility, deciding whether to give someone a fifth appearance will lead to important conversations.