BOCA RATON, Fla. — Baylor star tailback Shock Linwood joined Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and LSU’s Leonard Fournette in leaving his team prior to their bowl game. In each case, the players chose NFL preparation over the risk of potential injury.
The flurry of decisions from high profile players certainly marks the distinct start of a trend for college stars and the postseason. Everyone can agree on that. Starting next season, when a star player on a decent team approaches the postseason, he’ll inevitably have a decision to make about playing in the bowl game. From there, opinions get muddled.