ORLANDO, Fla. — There is a notion that one day in the not-so-distant future college bowl games may go by the wayside. With entire teams opting out of the postseason, coaches switching jobs and players transferring from their current teams, a 13th game at the end of a long season seems less enticing than years past.
The disappointment of not making the 12-team College Football Playoff also weighs heavily on some programs more than others.
But players from Georgia Tech and BYU provided a bit of a counterargument Tuesday, the first full day in Orlando, Florida, for both teams. They spent about 90 minutes at Fun Spot America — an amusement park featuring rides, games and even live reptiles.
“I enjoy it, I know other people enjoy it, especially seniors, especially knowing this is gonna be your last game playing, who wouldn’t want to do it?” Tech running back Daylon Gordon argued against the possible extinction of bowl games. “Me, as a senior, it’s bittersweet and I’m enjoying every bit of it.”
Local children had private access to the park Tuesday as well, and most paired up with Yellow Jackets or Cougars — or both — to do as much as possible during the allotted time. Tech coach Brent Key and BYU coach Kalani Sitake were there as well.
Key and his daughter, Harper, started Tuesday by making a beeline for the carousel at the park’s entrance.
No. 22 Tech and No. 12 BYU are scheduled to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Camping World Stadium. But on this day, players from each team mingled free about the park and rode rides together side by side.
“Man, it was awesome,” Tech defensive lineman Jason Moore said. “We ended up getting this young girl, and at the beginning of the day she was kinda shy. Finally got her going. She got on the merry-go-round, and it kind of shot off from there. Fed some alligators, held an alligator, held a snake, she was able to get an albino alligator (stuffed animal) that we got for her. She was having a blast. We did some roller coasters and the teacup ride. It was an all-encompassing awesome time.”
Said Gordon: “I enjoyed it because I got to experience something that I haven’t before. I took a little 9-year-old, and we rode a couple rides, and she really enjoyed it. She was a little timid at first, but the more and more she got to know me and (linebacker) E.J. (Lightsey), the more fun she had. It’s been great, honestly.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Also on-site Tuesday morning was the Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy, a functioning toaster which was plugged in and ready for use. Players helped themselves to Pop-Tarts and heated up the breakfast treats before returning to the rides and attractions.
All part of another unique memory, especially for players such as Gordon who have been on Tech’s roster since 2021.
“Just glad I got to stay the whole while and experience this thing that will last,” Gordon said.
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