With backdrops in places like Hawaii, California, Florida and Arizona, postseason college football bowl games have become not only an opportunity to play one final game, but also a vacation and reward for players on those deserving teams.

However, it’s not all fun and games when it comes to playing in a bowl. Along with the fun and the sun comes another month filled with pregame practices and preparation.

“I’ve not really been a part of this except for last year,” said Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel during the Big Ten Conference’s teleconference two weeks ago.

“We did it one particular way last year, but I know we will use that time to work on our upcoming opponent and perhaps look at some new wrinkles we can throw into our playbook,” he said.

The Buckeyes, who will play for the Bowl Championship Series’ national championship in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3, are one of just 12 teams that have already accepted bowl invitations with one week remaining in the regular season.

But while some teams do not know their destination yet, they are still busy preparing for another game.

“Our guys are still lifting and running,” said Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker. “We all felt it was time for the season to end, and our guys were ready to sort of call it a day.”

The Hawkeyes’ season finished up two weeks ago, and Iowa is slated to play in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

But while teams still hit the practice fields almost every day before their respective bowl games, these practices are not devoted solely to opponents and game plans.

Instead, most coaches tend to focus on the future of their teams during bowl practices.

“In my three years as assistant, we used the bowl preparation time as time to spend with our young people,” Tressel said.

“Sometimes those guys get lost in the shuffle during the season, so we make it a point to work with them with the bowl time,” he said.

The added workouts resulting from a postseason berth are so important, many coaches see it as an advantage for future years.

“That extra practice time that comes from bowl games is time that is very valuable to the young players and the progress of a program,” said Illinois football coach Ron Turner. “It’s something that’s a great advantage to programs that make a bowl game.”

With young players getting most of the attention during the postseason practices, some coaches have allowed starters and other experienced players to simply skip some bowl practices.

“We always get extra work done during those practices,” said Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez. “We put a lot of extra time in with our younger players, and we sometimes don’t even have our starters come in at all. We basically work on fundamentals during those practices.”

Other coaches prefer to shorten practice weeks.

During the regular season, it is common to see players on the practice field five to six times per week. However, during bowl practices, coaches need only three or four days with their teams.

“We use that free time to let players heal some of those bumps and bruises you normally get during a full college football schedule,” Parker said. “It’s that normal wear and tear on them that you expect, and the added time allows them to get healthy.”