I was at a casino yesterday playing slots, wearing my MSU ball cap, when someone sat next to me that I noticed was wearing a Bear cap. I looked at him with a smile that may have been a bit smug due to us just advancing to the CWS. He mumbled the obligatory (and insincere) "Congrats and good luck" but then he remarked about what a great 2014 recruiting class the bears were putting together. He then asked me that if I had a choice would I rather finish in the top 5 in football recruiting or the top 5 in baseball. I said baseball, but afterwards, it did make me think. To SPS-- if you had a choice would you rather go to the CWS, Final Four or a BCS bowl? To make it more interesting, because let's face it--in the SEC football is king for most people-- if you answered BCS bowl, would you settle for 2 consecutive top 5 recruiting years now, and have to take your chances at winning later or would you rather go to the CWS or Final Four?
Tough hypothetical question about SEC sports
- Thread starter SkullCandy.sixpack
- Start date
Out of your three choices, BCS Bowl, with final four right behind. That said, anyone who takes a damn recruiting class over something actually occurring on the field is a damn dumbass. I'd take a CWS over a number one recruiting class.
Wait - Am I reading this right? Is the question really would you rather finish in the top 5 on the field in baseball or the top 5 in some made up ranking about how good your incoming players were in high school? Since one is a guaranteed top 5 finish, and the other is simply a slightly better chance at a decent team down the road, I'm going with the actual, on the field, top 5 finish every time, regardless of the sports being discussed.
I'd rather have CWS championship than any none championship alternative. I'd rather have CWS appearance than any none post season appearance alternative in any sport. But I'd trade every post season appearance we ever had in baseball and basketball for a SEC championship in FB and an appearance in the first championship playoff final
So in the last part of your post, the choices are
1.) 2 top 5 recruiting classes in a row
2.) CWS appearance
3.) Final Four
My choices
1.) Final Four - this is better than recruiting because, obviously, it is actual results. And this is much, much more rare for MSU than a CWS appearance.
2.) 2 top 5 recruiting classes in a row - this would obviously be a gamble, because as all Ole Miss fans know, on-the-field results are not guaranteed. But, I would take this over 1 CWS appearance because, again, I think CWS appearances will not be too rare for MSU in the future, and this would give us the potential to compete for an SEC championship in football.
3.) CWS appearance - for all the reasons stated above.
Given the choice of a CWS, Final Four, or BCS Bowl...
- BCS Bowl first
- Final Four second
- CWS a very distant third
I would enjoy the Final Four a whole lot more, but recognize that the BCS Bowl would do a ton more for the athletics department and school, which is why I put it first.
With apologies to many here, the CWS jusnt isnt important to 90% of college sports fans. Winning it is akin to lacrosse or hockey- regional sports that have a small but devoted following. The program is typically a money loser and the accomplishment, as cool as it is, just doesnt give the school or athletics department enough publicity.
...winning a recruiting battle is not even worth discussing. I will never understand why anyone fights with other people over whose recruiting class is better. There are few things in sports I would rather discuss less.
- BCS Bowl first
- Final Four second
- CWS a very distant third
I would enjoy the Final Four a whole lot more, but recognize that the BCS Bowl would do a ton more for the athletics department and school, which is why I put it first.
With apologies to many here, the CWS jusnt isnt important to 90% of college sports fans. Winning it is akin to lacrosse or hockey- regional sports that have a small but devoted following. The program is typically a money loser and the accomplishment, as cool as it is, just doesnt give the school or athletics department enough publicity.
...winning a recruiting battle is not even worth discussing. I will never understand why anyone fights with other people over whose recruiting class is better. There are few things in sports I would rather discuss less.
To SPS-- if you had a choice would you rather go to the CWS, Final Four or a BCS bowl? BCS bowl
To make it more interesting, because let's face it--in the SEC football is king for most people-- if you answered BCS bowl, would you settle for 2 consecutive top 5 recruiting years now, and have to take your chances at winning later or would you rather go to the CWS or Final Four? CWS or Final 4
17 mythical crootin titles.
To make it more interesting, because let's face it--in the SEC football is king for most people-- if you answered BCS bowl, would you settle for 2 consecutive top 5 recruiting years now, and have to take your chances at winning later or would you rather go to the CWS or Final Four? CWS or Final 4
17 mythical crootin titles.
BCS Bowl as an SEC team probably means you are a top 3 team in the country realistically; The best SEC team in the country will be winning in the National Championship game.
Final Four, of course, means you made it to the top 4 in the nation.
CWS means you are in the top 8 in baseball.
Since I'd rather succeed in the sports in this order: football, basketball, baseball... your hypothetical is a no brainer for me. The sport I care least about, you have in the least successful situation, and the sport I care most about you have in the best situation... And truth be told, many years I would consider the SEC Sugar Bowl team to be the second best team in the country.
Anyone who chooses recruiting anything over any of these choices is either an idiot, or they have been completely brainwashed into thinking recruiting and success on the field are equal.
Final Four, of course, means you made it to the top 4 in the nation.
CWS means you are in the top 8 in baseball.
Since I'd rather succeed in the sports in this order: football, basketball, baseball... your hypothetical is a no brainer for me. The sport I care least about, you have in the least successful situation, and the sport I care most about you have in the best situation... And truth be told, many years I would consider the SEC Sugar Bowl team to be the second best team in the country.
Anyone who chooses recruiting anything over any of these choices is either an idiot, or they have been completely brainwashed into thinking recruiting and success on the field are equal.
I think its a huge mistake to think recruiting is "made up" and irrelevant. It's no accident that the teams that are in the top 10 on a regular basis just happen to be in the top 10 in recruiting on a regular basis as well. I don't think there is any chance whatsoever that we can get to the SEC championship without consistently (or for at least a couple of years in a row) without recruiting in the top 10. A decade ago maybe, but not anymore. The SEC has become too competitive. It OWNS the NC. Great starters aren't enough. You need great depth too, or you'll lose every game in the second half.
How can we hope to improve on last year's record when every single team that beat us last year had a top 10 recruiting class this year? If the Bears get another top 10 recruiting class this year, and we can't at least break into the top teens, it's going to be a long decade, I'm afraid.
How can we hope to improve on last year's record when every single team that beat us last year had a top 10 recruiting class this year? If the Bears get another top 10 recruiting class this year, and we can't at least break into the top teens, it's going to be a long decade, I'm afraid.
What
dumb SOB would possibly think finishing in the top 5 in recruiting would be better than finishing top 5 in an actual sport? That's just stupid.
dumb SOB would possibly think finishing in the top 5 in recruiting would be better than finishing top 5 in an actual sport? That's just stupid.
Winning leads to better recruiting if you have good coaches. Better recruiting leads to more winning if you have good coaching. Chicken meet egg.
If someone picked 2 top 5 recruiting classes over actually winning a BCS game, then maybe they didn't think it through. The two classes guarantee nothing but they do show the future may be bright. The BCS game at least guarantees you got there and it also should lead to better recruiting.
If someone picked 2 top 5 recruiting classes over actually winning a BCS game, then maybe they didn't think it through. The two classes guarantee nothing but they do show the future may be bright. The BCS game at least guarantees you got there and it also should lead to better recruiting.
I didn't mean to say that recruiting is made up or irrelevant. My point was that the rankings are fairly arbitrary, and being in the top 5 in a recruiting ranking may or may not mean that your incoming class is among the 5 best in the country. Also, it takes a lot more than getting a number of good players to sign for a recruiting class to make an impact on the field. Sure, good recruiting is important, and good recruiting rankings are usually better than bad recruiting rankings, but there are so many other variables that it just seems silly to even consider choosing a good recruiting ranking over actual on the field results.
Agree--that's why I said that in football, you only got a chance to get into the top 5 by recruiting well. Otherwise, everyone would just take BCS. I wanted to know if you would risk getting a top team in football vs having top team in another sport. I don't think it's possible in the SEC to get to "the next level" without multiple top 5-10 recruiting classes. Get a freak player like Cam, maybe--but realistically you have to have consistently good recruiting classes in the SEC to make it to the top.
Saban is the prime example of stressing the importance of recruiting. In his press conference after winning the NC he talked about how a team gets to the NC: "I think if you do a good job of recruiting and developing your players that a lot of people are going to have the opportunity to be in this game in the future." But without recruiting you won't have the opportunity.
Saban is the prime example of stressing the importance of recruiting. In his press conference after winning the NC he talked about how a team gets to the NC: "I think if you do a good job of recruiting and developing your players that a lot of people are going to have the opportunity to be in this game in the future." But without recruiting you won't have the opportunity.
Well, if free drinks are your thing, just go stand by a craps table and order one when the wench comes by. That'll cost you less than your 0.25 drink you ordered at the slot machine. Or you can actually nut up and play craps, like the rest of the men in the building. The only people I know who play slots are chicks and people over age 65.
I don't believe this. Recruiting is not an exact science. Texas has been recruiting top five talent year in and year out despite struggling recently. If those same players went to Texas Tech, they wouldn't be rated as high. We see it all the time when Ole Miss recruits a player and their ranking suddenly jumps, but if they commit to State, we sometimes see their ranking devalued.
So, recruiting classes are ranked highly based on the teams that are recruiting them. It's more show than substance. No question Alabama and LSU get the best players, but beyond that, we've put as many players in the top rounds of the NFL draft recently as just about anyone, but we haven't had those super recruiting classes.
So, in summation, recruiting rankings are ********.
Can't watch the games from the crap table, though. They have table slots (or poker) with a big wall-o-TVs. No way I plug in more than 5-6 quarters, then give the bartender a good tip. Get 4-5 drinks (or more...) for less than 10 bucks. Works out in the long run. Since I live on the coast , I know most of the bartenders, and don't even have to go through the charade of "playing" the games. Just tip well, and they don't care. If I'm gaming, I NEVER play slots or roulette. Usually craps or poker, but damn I wish they'd play bourre instead of poker at a few tables.
Piss on 'crootin rankings. 1) BCS 2) FF 3) CWS
That said, why is it that whenever we have success in baseball, MSU fans have to start ranking whether or not it's better than football or basketball? Beggars can't be choosers. Enjoy the success when it comes. We should be proud of any of those three achievements.
That said, why is it that whenever we have success in baseball, MSU fans have to start ranking whether or not it's better than football or basketball? Beggars can't be choosers. Enjoy the success when it comes. We should be proud of any of those three achievements.
agree. i enjoy recruiting as much as the next guy but mostly as a filler competition between seasons. what counts is on the field. and i'd be thrilled with any of those. might actually like the CWS better than the final 4 cause we're so bad at basketball i'm not sure i could relate to a final 4 appearance anyway.
Am I the only one who can't stand recruiting?
It's just a **** storm of "He's going here" or "They're cheating," and every year it's the same stupid melodramatic ********. That's the defining word for recruiting: melodramatic... No wonder Mississippi fans get into it so much. Honestly, how can you get that excited about a 17 year old picking your school over another? And how in the hell could anyone ever possibly even consider choosing that over actual on-field results? The entire purpose of recruiting is to get better on the field. That would totally be putting the cart before the horse... That actually makes the whole UM recruiting train funny to me: they can't get people to show up and stay for their actual games, but they sure as hell can pack out the Library in January to show the 'croots a good time!!11!!!1! The thought of someone picking recruiting over winning an actual game (in any of the big 3 sports) is laughable at best. At worst, it's psychotic.
The worst part is this 17'n recruiting ****-slinging contest is it's not getting any better. I recognize its importance, but I'm to the point where I can't even pay attention to recruiting until NSD is here.
It's just a **** storm of "He's going here" or "They're cheating," and every year it's the same stupid melodramatic ********. That's the defining word for recruiting: melodramatic... No wonder Mississippi fans get into it so much. Honestly, how can you get that excited about a 17 year old picking your school over another? And how in the hell could anyone ever possibly even consider choosing that over actual on-field results? The entire purpose of recruiting is to get better on the field. That would totally be putting the cart before the horse... That actually makes the whole UM recruiting train funny to me: they can't get people to show up and stay for their actual games, but they sure as hell can pack out the Library in January to show the 'croots a good time!!11!!!1! The thought of someone picking recruiting over winning an actual game (in any of the big 3 sports) is laughable at best. At worst, it's psychotic.
The worst part is this 17'n recruiting ****-slinging contest is it's not getting any better. I recognize its importance, but I'm to the point where I can't even pay attention to recruiting until NSD is here.
Agree and I would add other accomplishments such as bowl games, division titles, and conference titles in the mix.
or video poker at the bar. That's the best way to get a quick/cheap buzz. And no waiting for the wench. Then when you're good and confident, head to the craps table, and if they're all full waste some time at blackjack til a good spot opens up.
Ask Stansbury what a top 5 recruiting class means.
I am way past getting too high or low over recruiting classes because it always seems like our best teams in football and basketball have a bunch of "diamonds in the rough" that were not highly recruited and our most disappointing teams generally have a lot of highly ranked recruits.
I am way past getting too high or low over recruiting classes because it always seems like our best teams in football and basketball have a bunch of "diamonds in the rough" that were not highly recruited and our most disappointing teams generally have a lot of highly ranked recruits.
You have plenty of company
Recruiting rankings will always favor the schools with mouthbreathing hordes of fans easily separated from their disposable incomes one website and magazine at a time.
As for the original question: would you prefer a top 5 finish in AN ACTUAL SPORT to a top 5 finish in recruiting...it's too stupid to even warrant a response.
Recruiting rankings will always favor the schools with mouthbreathing hordes of fans easily separated from their disposable incomes one website and magazine at a time.
As for the original question: would you prefer a top 5 finish in AN ACTUAL SPORT to a top 5 finish in recruiting...it's too stupid to even warrant a response.
Last edited: