Notre Dame started it and now there's 10 teams that have opted out of playing in bowl games, with some schools even being fined for their decisions.
"Several bowl-eligible teams have turned down the opportunity to continue their seasons. Shortly after being surprisingly left out of the playoff field, Notre Dame opted against taking part in a bowl game. Iowa State and Kansas State, both of which are undergoing coaching changes, have also declined the chance to play in a bowl, with the Big 12 fining each school $500,000 for their decisions."
So if a $500,000 fine (expense) isn't enough to make a team think twice about opting out, then what dollar amount does it cost these teams to actually play in a bowl game? Another way to look at it is, how much money do these programs actually make, when a $500,000 expense (fine) doesn't hurt?
I mean, at the end of the day we're just sports fans, but these sports are businesses. And if a business decision to pay an unbudgeted fine of $500,000 is made so quickly and easily, then how much money is just sitting in that business account? Or is the business actually saving money by paying the fine rather than continuing the program and all it's associated expenses for a few more weeks?