Florida State had over 20 guys opt out of playing. That wasn't this year's FSU team in that game, so we learned nothing about how good they really were this year.
The long layoff between the end of the regular season and the bowl games always made them something of a crap shoot, but now it's even more so.
I don't blame the players. They're looking out for their own interests, and anyone who sneers at them for putting the payoffs of a pro career above just one more game - especially if it's a minor bowl game - is more concerned about their own preferences than the players' real interests. Those people need to get over themselves; the players should not care more about those selfish fans than about maximizing their career prospects.
But the side effect is to make most bowl games meaningless. Maybe expanding the bowl championship series to 12 teams will ameliorate that effect, at least for those teams.