5 Stars doesn't mean greatness

[shyndy]

But nigerian players with crazy names that are :star :star or better have been pretty good for us.

honestly anyone with a cool name should get a +1 to their star rating from that alone.

[caveman99]

When it comes to our fan base, IMO there are two distinct arguments when it comes to recruiting rankings. It seems that they get inter-weaved a whole lot.

 

The first, and most volatile argument, is whether or not NU needs to be elite in the recruiting rankings to be elite as a team. There are many issues with that argument, first of all what is elite in both recruiting and team-wise? Is elite recruiting a Top 5 recruiting class every year, a top 10, a top 15, etc.? It seems it varies depending on which person you are "discussing it with." Regarding the team definition, I would safely say that competing for Conference Championships each year and Top 10 finishes are the norm would put the team in the elite category. I think it goes without saying that if you win the Big XII title, you have a good shot to be competing for MNC's. I still think many wouldn't agree with me on that either. Either way, one faction likes to down play TO's recruiting resume and the other faction likes to throw out the so called elite teams like USC and Florida as what NU needs to emulate recruiting-wise to be elite. Both arguments are so full of holes it isn't even funny. The truth lies somewhere in between I suspect.

 

The other argument that seems to spring out of the first is that Star Rankings are completely irrelevant or are the end-all be-all. Someone always brings up the walk ons, 2 Stars, and 3 stars studs in NU's past to try and bolster their position in the first argument, making sure to point out all of the busts that were 5 stars or 4 stars. The core issue is how valid are the star rankings to begin with? Inevitably it gets lumped in with the first argument because that first argument is all about how elite NU needs to be in recruiting and the primary way fans evaluate recruiting prowess is via the rating services.

 

The problem is that even if you find a way to prove or dis-prove the validity of the recruiting rankings, you can still not be able to prove your position in the first argument. If you believe in star ratings, you will have a hard time proving your point about NU needing to be elite recruiting-wise. A never ending cycle.

[RedDenver]

When it comes to our fan base, IMO there are two distinct arguments when it comes to recruiting rankings. It seems that they get inter-weaved a whole lot.

 

The first, and most volatile argument, is whether or not NU needs to be elite in the recruiting rankings to be elite as a team. There are many issues with that argument, first of all what is elite in both recruiting and team-wise? Is elite recruiting a Top 5 recruiting class every year, a top 10, a top 15, etc.? It seems it varies depending on which person you are "discussing it with." Regarding the team definition, I would safely say that competing for Conference Championships each year and Top 10 finishes are the norm would put the team in the elite category. I think it goes without saying that if you win the Big XII title, you have a good shot to be competing for MNC's. I still think many wouldn't agree with me on that either. Either way, one faction likes to down play TO's recruiting resume and the other faction likes to throw out the so called elite teams like USC and Florida as what NU needs to emulate recruiting-wise to be elite. Both arguments are so full of holes it isn't even funny. The truth lies somewhere in between I suspect.

 

The other argument that seems to spring out of the first is that Star Rankings are completely irrelevant or are the end-all be-all. Someone always brings up the walk ons, 2 Stars, and 3 stars studs in NU's past to try and bolster their position in the first argument, making sure to point out all of the busts that were 5 stars or 4 stars. The core issue is how valid are the star rankings to begin with? Inevitably it gets lumped in with the first argument because that first argument is all about how elite NU needs to be in recruiting and the primary way fans evaluate recruiting prowess is via the rating services.

 

The problem is that even if you find a way to prove or dis-prove the validity of the recruiting rankings, you can still not be able to prove your position in the first argument. If you believe in star ratings, you will have a hard time proving your point about NU needing to be elite recruiting-wise. A never ending cycle.

Agreed. Excellently worded.