Gone is a lot of luster associated with games often played at enviable locations versus teams that rarely have the opportunity to square off against one another. It’s even reached the point where top players often opt out of playing in lieu of remaining healthy as possible for the upcoming NFL draft as there’s little to be gained, from their perspective, in playing one last time at the collegiate level.

The easy aspect to blame for all of it is the ever-increasing College Football Playoff pool, which currently stands at 12 teams and is set to expand in the coming years. There’s little question it’s the justifiable target to criticize, too, as certain teams are given to place little stock in participating in, let alone winning a postseason bowl game such as the Pop-Tarts bowl, which Notre Dame opted out of last week.

But BYU isn’t one of those teams prone to diminish the importance of a bowl bid, no matter the location and opponent. At least that’s the message sent by Cougar Head Coach Kalani Sitake and his assistant coaches as they began bowl practices late last week in preparation to take on Georgia Tech in Orlando on December 27. S

ure, the preferred spot would have been a first-round game in the playoff, but due to taking a 34-7 loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game, the Cougars were cited as the second team left out of the 12-team playoff by the CFP committed. In Sitake’s the mind, the process of ending the season stronger moving forward begins with how his team finishes the current season.

“We’ve got to be thankful for that opportunity and look forward to trying to do everything we can to get back to that game again next year,” Sitake said. “Part of that is being able to bowl prep and to develop our young guys and develop our depth.”

But what about the proven veterans, and particularly freshmen quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who has been wearing a boot on his left foot since the Big 12 Championship Game after incurring an ankle injury? Bachmeier didn’t participate in BYU’s initial bowl practice with BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick asked regarding his starting quarterback’s availability.

“It’s not severe. He’s fine,” Roderick said of the nature of Bachmeier’s injury while asserting that he’ll play in the bowl game. “It’s not anything anybody’s worried about…If we had a game today he could have gone out there and played.”

So Bear’s good to go, but what about other players on the offensive side of the football like running back LJ Martin, who saw his stock raised considerably as a future NFL running back this season?

“I haven’t heard of any yet,” Roderick answered when asked if there’s any players who will opt out of the game, at least on his side of the football. “As far as I know everybody is excited to play in this game.”

As mentioned, BYU began its bowl preparation with a practice session last week where Roderick noted a positive attitude taken by his players in preparation to take on Georgia Tech.

‘The vibe I’ve taken is that guys are excited to play,” Roderick said. “These guys like football and they like to play, and we’ll show up and play anywhere. Put the ball out there in the parking lot and we’ll come out there and play. That’s been this team’s mentality…Last year we were super excited to play Colorado (in the Alamo Bowl) and we’ll be excited to play this time against Georgia Tech.”