[82lsju]

Also, this debate of how important the game is seems ridiculous.  Talk to people who play the games.  When Stanford was nowhere, the bowl game became a larger than life experience.  Now that we have a few Roses under our belt in the not to distant past, the Sun Bowl has limited attraction for the players.  For those who are never going to play again, yes, they are looking forward to it and they want to win.  But for others, it just doesn't matter.  How do I know?  I asked them and they told me so, including starters.  Some, flat out, would prefer to give their bodies a break and spend time with their friends and family considering that they have been busting their asses since the summer time.  Who are we to decide what should or should not matter to them?  And I highly doubt that the fans are a significant part of the calculation for any player who chooses to come to Stanford.  As group, Stanford fans are nowhere near as passionate as fans at other programs that have the success that we have.  Coaches at Stanford have to recruit in spite of the fans.  That is the reality we face.

and at the end of the day for most bowl games the Universities loss money, one of the nominal reasons they appear to be willing to do that is the two weeks of extra practice they get that teams not in bowl games do not.  I wonder if all teams could have two extra weeks of practice and not go to a bowl game how many would pass on bowl games, many of which IMHO solely exist for ESPN to fill its program slots in December.

[82lsju]

Also, this debate of how important the game is seems ridiculous.  Talk to people who play the games.  When Stanford was nowhere, the bowl game became a larger than life experience.  Now that we have a few Roses under our belt in the not to distant past, the Sun Bowl has limited attraction for the players.  For those who are never going to play again, yes, they are looking forward to it and they want to win.  But for others, it just doesn't matter.  How do I know?  I asked them and they told me so, including starters.  Some, flat out, would prefer to give their bodies a break and spend time with their friends and family considering that they have been busting their asses since the summer time.  Who are we to decide what should or should not matter to them?  And I highly doubt that the fans are a significant part of the calculation for any player who chooses to come to Stanford.  As group, Stanford fans are nowhere near as passionate as fans at other programs that have the success that we have.  Coaches at Stanford have to recruit in spite of the fans.  That is the reality we face.

and at the end of the day for most bowl games the Universities loss money, one of the nominal reasons they appear to be willing to do that is the two weeks of extra practice they get that teams not in bowl games do not.  I wonder if all teams could have two extra weeks of practice and not go to a bowl game how many would pass on bowl games, many of which IMHO solely exist for ESPN to fill its program slots in December.