Paul Finebaum rates the SEC coaches (1 Viewer)

[st dude]

There are innumerable examples of this. So yes, a top 5 recruiting ranking is a reasonable predictor of getting top 10 talent. But then it didn't take a rocket scientist to predict Florida, LSU, Texas, USC, and Ohio State would get top 10 talent. The true test of the recruiting sites worth would be predicting the rising success of schools like Wake Forest and Rutgers. Which they consistently fail to do.

They dont predict what rankings LSU, USC, etc will have, they rate the kids and the rankings fall where they may. A few kids get adjusted during the season that does skew the rankings a bit, but not that much.

I dont get the Rutgers reference. Some teams will always over achieve with their talent. Rutgers has no where close to the talent of LSU or USC and would be a second tier sec school at best year in, year out.

The recruiting rankings are no absolute predictor. The years LSU had poor recruiting rankins in the 90s were followed by poor seasons. USC has only recruited well with Carrol and that has directly correlated to their success.

I have watched this play out for years. On average the five star players turn out to be very good and a four star player is better than a three star most of the time. Some two stars (jacob hester) will surprise and some five stars(xavier carter) will underperform. Overall I have found the higher rated kids to be better. Glen Dorsey, Dwayne Bowe, Laron Landry, Jamarcus Russell, Ali Highsmith, Buster Davis and Matt Flynn were all highly rated players before they went to LSU. For me the hits outnumber the misses.

I guess people whose teams get highly recruited classes are more likely to give credence to the system and vice versa. I know its that way with many LSU fans who love the ratings when they work in their favor and then talk about how arbitrary they are when their classes are low rated.

 

[LSSpam]

I guess people whose teams get highly recruited classes are more likely to give credence to the system and vice versa.

Well if you're going to be that casual about dismissing what i'm saying (as just the self-interested rational of a poor little UM fan), I guess that's just where the discussion will lie

 

[st dude]

Well if you're going to be that casual about dismissing what i'm saying (as just the self-interested rational of a poor little UM fan), I guess that's just where the discussion will lie

You took it the wrong way, but I am fine with ending the debate. You are a good poster but things seem to get personal too much. As I said, I am an Ole Miss fan as well. I follow recruiting sites and have found, with LSU fans as well, that people are more likely to dismiss the rankings as insignificant when they are not recruiting well.

I think its a fair observation and was not intended to be dismissive. The debate was getting circular anyway I guess. It may be a semantcal argument anyway as I do not disagree rankings can be arbitrary to some extent. I think the whole star thing has made it a kind of fun thing to follow and dont take it that seriously anyway.

 

[KingBarkus]

T
Croom deserves to be near the bottom. I know i'm a UM fan but look at it objectively. They beat an Auburn team who didn't have 6 of their defensive starters and had an uncharacteristically bad day by Cox, with 5 turnovers. That was the lowpoint for Auburn. They beat Kentucky after emotional overtime games against LSU and Florida. They barely beat a terrible UAB team, they beat Tulane, and they beat Gardner-Webb. Ole Miss was thoroughly dominating the game until a Derrick Pegues punt return and an idiotic 4th and 1 by Orgeron.

That was a bad team that got real lucky. And the best part of it was the defense under Ellis Johnson, and he's gone now. Croom is a supposedly offensive coach with the 113th offense in the NCAA, and winning is all on his shoulders now. And I seriously doubt he'll get the same breaks he got in 2007.

You see what we have to put up with in the state of Mississippi? That's a real objective look thru some very thick red-and-blue glasses. Did the poster mention the first 2 QB's were injured in the course of the season and a true freshman was rolled out in the final 8 games? Know how hard it is to win in the SEC with your 3rd string freshman QB? Yes, the defense created opportunities for MSU, but that's part of the game. I criticize Croom's offense a lot, but with better players coming on board and stability at the QB position, there is hope. The new DC is on staff and well-respected. Not much drop off is expected. A supporter of a team that just went O-fer in the conference should curtail the critiques of another team.

 

[LSSpam]

You see what we have to put up with in the state of Mississippi? That's a real objective look thru some very thick red-and-blue glasses. Did the poster mention the first 2 QB's were injured in the course of the season and a true freshman was rolled out in the final 8 games? Know how hard it is to win in the SEC with your 3rd string freshman QB? Yes, the defense created opportunities for MSU, but that's part of the game. I criticize Croom's offense a lot, but with better players coming on board and stability at the QB position, there is hope. The new DC is on staff and well-respected. Not much drop off is expected. A supporter of a team that just went O-fer in the conference should curtail the critiques of another team.

Haha, dude, Carroll >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Henig. That was a blessing and another example of Croom's luck because Croom seemed determined to stick with Henig and his 6 INTs a game.

 

[KingBarkus]

Haha, dude, Carroll >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Henig. That was a blessing and another example of Croom's luck because Croom seemed determined to stick with Henig and his 6 INTs a game.

Does not change the fact that a true freshman was thrust in the SEC meat grinder and engineered the team to a bowl game. Good luck with your new coach but I will miss Coach O. He offered great entertainment.

 

[saints225]

1.) Les Miles

2.) Urban Meyer

3.) Tommy Tuberville

4.) Mark Richt

5.) Steve Spurrier

6.) Sylvester Croom

7.) Nick Saban

8.) Houston Nutt

9.) Phil Fulmer

10.) Bobby Petrino

11.) Rich Brooks

12.) Bobby Johnson

 

[UGASaintsFan]

...and if Richt doesn't at least make it to the BCS championship game this coming season with the team he has now, he may never get there.

Our schedule is going to be our undoing in 08. I think our best shot will be 09 since the most of our team will be back again then.

 

[Jazzbo]

Our schedule is going to be our undoing in 08. I think our best shot will be 09 since the most of our team will be back again then.

I just looked at the schedule, the only part that's truly tougher is playing at Tiger Stadium IMO. Tennessee at least will be at home. Auburn is on the road this time and that's always a big game but I think the Bulldogs can handle them. I don't think USC will be as difficult as they were in 2007, they snuck up on teams and then kind of fell apart mid-season.

If UGA gets out with one loss it's a near lock they go to the BCS title game.

What do you mean by "most of the team will be back again" in 2009?

 

[UGASaintsUGA]

I just looked at the schedule, the only part that's truly tougher is playing at Tiger Stadium IMO. Tennessee at least will be at home. Auburn is on the road this time and that's always a big game but I think the Bulldogs can handle them. I don't think USC will be as difficult as they were in 2007, they snuck up on teams and then kind of fell apart mid-season.

If UGA gets out with one loss it's a near lock they go to the BCS title game.

What do you mean by "most of the team will be back again" in 2009?

He meant that most of our starters next year will be sophomores and juniors.

Don't forget Arizona State, Florida, and Ga. Tech on that schedule. Check it out again. Its as brutal a schedule as I've ever seen a team have to face.

 

[Jazzbo]

I missed Az State, yes, there could be trouble in Tempe.

Florida's always tough but Ga.'s defense is much better then theirs. I think that will be the difference.

Ga Tech tough? Really? Didn't they just fire their coach?

 

[UGASaintsFan]

I missed Az State, yes, there could be trouble in Tempe.

Florida's always tough but Ga.'s defense is much better then theirs. I think that will be the difference.

Ga Tech tough? Really? Didn't they just fire their coach?

I think Az State, Florida, LSU, Auburn, and UT will be our toughest games. UF will be much better next year.

My original point about 09 was what UGASaintsUGA said, we had very few juniors and seniors this year, so assuming everyone sticks around, we should have everyone back again in 09.

 

[MLU]

Our schedule is going to be our undoing in 08. I think our best shot will be 09 since the most of our team will be back again then.

You better get it next year because you won't get it in 2009. That year has been reserved in advance for LSU as we wrap up that "Team of the Decade" moniker.

 

[UGASaintsFan]

You better get it next year because you won't get it in 2009. That year has been reserved in advance for LSU as we wrap up that "Team of the Decade" moniker.

How silly of me, I had forgotten that college football was going to be cancelled that year and LSU awarded the title. I may need to start making promises I cant keep to get a ticket to the game in Athens that year. I always find it easier to get tickets to the games in B.R. as opposed to GA. I guess growing up and living in LA helps with that.

I thought I had read an article that LSU was going out on top and not playing football anymore though. I guess they changed their mind.

 

[Jazzbo]

Just a gut feeling, but I think UF will disappoint next season. Everyone is expecting their young defense to take a big step up but I didn't see any improvement at all over the course of last season. If anything, they seemed to have gotten worse. Henne looked like the next Tom Brady against them.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that UGA's schedule is no cakewalk. But I think that it gives them an an advantage in rankings over teams who end the season with similar records, just as it did for LSU last year. And it's a young team that finished strong and already won convincingly over several ranked teams along the way. You say they will be peaking in '09, they should already be there in '08.

But you guys know your own team. We'll see what happens. It's going to be another very competitive year in the SEC regardless.

p.s.--I agree with MLU that the stars align better for LSU in '09.