According to Sports Media Watch, the Arizona-SMU Holiday Bowl game drew 2.39 million viewers on Fox. That's 18th overall of 41 bowl games. Even the Minnesota-New Mexico Rate Bowl drew 4.4 million.
The UA-SMU game lost one viewer, me, when it was announced 20 minutes before kickoff that defensive backs Treydan Stukes, Genesis Smith and Dalton Johnson opted out. As soon as I saw those three players in game jerseys, standing on the UA sidelines, I turned it off.
The crowd and Arizona defensive backs Dalton Johnson (43), Treydan Stukes (2) and Michael Dansby (25) celebrate Johnson’s interception in the third quarter against BYU, Oct. 11, 2025, in Tucson.
I don't have a problem with those players opting out, but to have the temerity to show up at the game they deemed unworthy of their participation went across the line. Those three athletes took advantage of the visibility and money the UA provided and then abandoned their teammates at the worst possible time. I think many believe Arizona would've won handily had they played.
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Many UA fans I talked to said they felt like they should've been entitled to a refund for the money they spent on travel, hotels and tickets. They would not have attended had they known the UA roster would be so compromised.
Hopefully, in the future, teams should be required to disclose opt-outs in say, two weeks before kickoff. But because there are so few rules in college sports anymore, that is probably wishful thinking.
Opting out shouldn’t tarnish legacies of Wildcats' Stukes, Johnson, Smith | Michael Lev
