When Penn State football announced it was opting out of a potential bowl game, some fans were immediately disappointed.

Many praised the team for taking a much-needed break, while others were upset they watched the last of the red-hot 2020 Nittany Lions. But at the end of the day, Penn State’s players made the choice themselves, prioritized their loved ones, and did the right thing.

This decision likely didn’t come easily. Penn State hasn’t missed a bowl game since James Franklin was named head coach in 2014, including three consecutive New Year’s Six bowls in the past three years. But 2020 has yielded a lot of new ground to cover for Franklin and the Nittany Lions.

It’s the first time Penn State has been unranked since 2016, the first time ever the team’s started 0-5, and the first time since 2004 there hasn’t been a White Out. Between heartbreaking injuries, opt-outs, false-positive coronavirus cases, and family separation, this team has been through the wringer.

No, a 4-5 record isn’t exactly something to boast after this season. But Penn State should be proud of how hard it fought back. And if the team came together and decided it didn’t want to play in a bowl game, so be it.

It’s the players’ decision to make at the end of the day, and if they’re done, they’re done. We should be respectful of that decision, just like Franklin and Sandy Barbour were.

I’m sure Franklin would have liked the chance to finish .500 and I’m sure Barbour would have appreciated the extra bowl revenue. But they were both “fully supportive” of the players’ decision to decline a bowl invitation and head home for the holidays.

Franklin said the team would meet after the Illinois game to make its final decision led by captains and senior leaders.

“I’m going to get together with the captains and the seniors. I had a meeting with them earlier in the week,” Franklin said. “I told them we were gonna focus on being 1-0 this week, and we would meet again after this [game] was over.”

And just a few hours after the game, the team ended its season. It didn’t take long for the team to shower up and come to a consensus. In fact, most of the leaders likely knew what they wanted to do before the game even started.

It was a long and difficult season during a very long and difficult year. The players have been in a “bubble” since they started up practice in August. Franklin hasn’t seen his family in months. Almost every other team in the Big Ten struggled with coronavirus cases, but Penn State held strong.

“We couldn’t be normal college students, the coaches couldn’t live their normal lives,” junior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher said. “Everybody who walks in that building has to change their whole lifestyle and sacrifice the little things that everybody enjoys.”

Mustipher, along with every other player on the team, needed to make sacrifices in order to play the season. They made these sacrifices to play for themselves, but also to play for and entertain fans during a year where nothing else seems normal.

Yes, the Nittany Lions could’ve taken one last ride at the Duke’s Mayo or Guaranteed Rate Bowls, but the players don’t owe that to anyone. They put their lives on pause to play the season and deserve a break if they’re ready to move on.

Were these sacrifices worth it? Star wide receiver Jahan Dotson thinks so.

“I believe 100% it was worth it,” Dotson said. “Any chance we get to go out to fight for each other and with each other, it’s 100% worth it. We had a lot of guys who were able to show what they’re capable of doing this year.”

The season wasn’t perfect, but it ended on a high note. The way it wrapped up was the way the team wanted it to end, and the players will all enjoy time away from what was surely a stressful football season.

For now, Franklin and his players will get to see their families and spend time with sorely missed loved ones. Perhaps that’ll be more fulfilling than any bowl game imaginable.