It annoys me. I understand the decision, agree that it is rational, admit that I might make the same choice, and can't really begrudge a player nearly as much as the following implies, but since everyone else is OK with it I feel someone needs to post a strong opposition.
As a fan I have supported you for 6 years as an amateur athlete. The school has invested perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop you as an athlete and support you while in school (which I in turn support). If you have an opportunity in the NFL draft, there is a great chance that part of the reason is because the school and coaches invested in your development. Skipping the final bowl game means you did everything you "had" to in order to "get yours," but at that point you're done.
And all that stuff about your team or your teammates can just be laughed off. Most of your teammates will not get a chance to play in the NFL. This is the peek of their football career, maybe their lives. As long as you needed them to try to look good and get into the NFL, it was all about the team. But now you've made it, who cares about them?
And bowl games are no more meaningless than any other game for a non-champion. If games without implication are meaningless, our players should have sat out every game after it became impossible to win the conference championship (because getting bowl eligible is also meaningless). October 2 was our second conference loss, after losing to Houston we were eliminated from Conference contention. There was no point in playing our last 5 or 6 games. Or maybe it doesn't it matter if our players get hurt because they are not future NFL stars?
The team is playing to win. Playing to get better. Playing for the school and the conference to gain reputation (or recruits). And, if we are honest, playing for finances and to entertain fans. All that is the reason the team plays any game.
Then again... the system is stupid. If a kid directly out of high school doesn't want to go to college and go directly to the NFL, so be it. If a player wants to leave after year 1, 2 or 3...fine. If Texas, Alabama, USC, and THE Ohio State want to be d-league NFL teams that pay their players whatever they want and have an "affiliation agreement" with a University, that's fine too. I'm not against people making money, but that shouldn't be the point of college athletics. So while I understand the reasoning behind leaving early to get paid, and while I admit I might make the same choice if in that position, it is ultimately a selfish decision after years of being part of a community and a team.
Again... I don't really fault a guy near all that much for making the decision. It is a rational decision from his perspective. But as a college football fan...