Players opting out of bowl games is commonplace in the current college football landscape. But it’s a trend that hasn’t found its way to Syracuse University to date, as the Orange expect a full roster at their disposal in San Diego when they take on Washington State on Friday in the Holiday Bowl.

“Wanted to finish what you started," tight end Oronde Gadsden said. "You know, if you started off the season well, we want you to finish it. No matter if we ended with the bowl game or the playoff game.”

“We all just wanted to go out and get this 10th win and we want to end it out on a great note," linebacker Marlowe Wax added. "And for me personally, being here, this is my third straight bowl game, I haven't won a bowl game yet, so I'm definitely trying to get that win.”

“It’s an opportunity for us to play football, we're going to play football," wide receiver Jackson Meeks said. "That's the reason we came to Syracuse. That's the reason that I feel like we were able to show this season that we actually love the game. We're not just doing this for the money or for the looks, you know, just to be cool, we love the game of football.”

The Orange have a chance to reach 10 wins for just the third time since the turn of the century. Standing in their way is a depleted Washington State team which has reportedly lost more 20 players to the transfer portal and its head coach to Wake Forest.

But the Orange say they are not overlooking the Cougars.

“I'm not going to treat them any different because guys are in the portal," linebacker Justin Barron said. "You know, those guys who have been backups all year are now getting a chance; they're going to be playing harder than they probably have ever played before. And that quarterback, now starter, he's been waiting for his chance all year. So it's not like they're not at full strength to me.

"Obviously, they lost a few guys. They lost the big names. But it's like every program. Those guys are on scholarship to go on scholarship for a reason. They want to come out, make some plays.”

A Holiday Bowl win would give the program the opportunity to soak head coach Fran Brown in egg nog as a postgame celebration.

“I don’t think he’s going for that, but we’ll see," Meeks said. "He said he's still got some elusiveness, you know, he's still got some little twitch in his bones. But I don't know. I feel like they might get him."