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Why is one BCS "winning" season so important to recruits?

  • Don't get me wrong, I don't think its irrelevant at all in a certain context. If a program is winning BCS games now, they will probably win in the future and they are more likely not to have a coaching change while you are there, unless they are a lower tier program. (ex. if you are a spread QB recruit and you are looking at a losing spread program, a losing team could mean that you will playing in a pro-style offense after the coach is fired or vice versa) Plus, it will be much more enjoyable to play there and be a source of pride to look back on later.

    But, at the same time, it will have very little bearing on your future - unless being a "has been" is a big deal. Plus, just because a team is winning now while you are a junior or senior in high school, doesn't mean they will be wining when you are a junior or senior in college; and vice versa. Imagine if you committed to Penn State last year because they were a generally winning program? What if Florida sucks it up again this year and next? (for the 2010 class of kids who committed what they thought was a winning program?) What if your winning team goes on probation?

    Further, it will likely have very little bearing on your pro prospects, if at all. Losing will not change the schools location, academic prestige, offered curriculum, or overall student life or student population, and for the most part a couple of mediocre seasons will not change the overall football tradition, prestige, and fan base associated with the school. Plus, if you sign with a big program, it's likely that you will at least go to a couple of decent bowl games.

    Unless you are a specialized skill player who only fits within certain offenses, what bowl game a team went to your junior or senior year of high school should be way down the lists of reasons to go the school (we can add the relationship with the assistant coaches as Exhibit B to this issue). It's just seems like such a short-sighted, front runner type of decision that is largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and it even could be a miscalculation based on how often the fortunes of one season can hang on a couple of 99 yard fumble returns or a fumble that bounces one way or the other....

    This post has been edited 4 times, most recently by IrishTN on 2/2/2012 at 9:43 PM

    IrishTN

  • IrishTN said...

    Don't get me wrong, I don't think its irrelevant at all in a certain context. If a program is winning now, they will probably win in the future and they are more likely not to have a coaching change while you are there. (ex. if you are a spread QB recruit and you are looking at a losing spread program, a losing team could mean that you will playing in a pro-style offense after the coach is fired or vice versa) Plus, it will be much more enjoyable to play there and be a source of pride to look back on later.

    But, at the same time, it will have very little bearing on your future - unless being a "has been" is a big deal. Plus, just because a team is winning now while you are a junior or senior in high school, doesn't mean they will be wining when you are a junior or senior in college; and vice versa. Imagine if you committed to Penn State last year because they were a generally winning program? What if Florida sucks it up again this year and next? (for the 2010 class of kids who committed what they thought was a winning program?) What if your winning team goes on probation?

    Further, it will likely have very little bearing on your pro prospects, if at all. Losing will not change the schools location, academic prestige, offered curriculum, or overall student life or student population, and for the most part a couple of mediocre seasons will not change the overall football tradition, prestige, and fan base associated with the school. Plus, if you sign with a big program, it's likely that you will at least go to a couple of decent bowl games.

    Unless you are a specialized skill player who only fits within certain offenses, what bowl game a team went to your junior or senior year of high school should be way down the lists of reasons to go the school (we can add the relationship with the assistant coaches as Exhibit B to this issue). It's just seems like such a short-sighted, front runner type of decision that is largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and it even could be a miscalculation based on how often the fortunes of one season can hang on a couple of 99 yard fumble returns or a fumble that bounces one way or the other....

    Would you rather play for a winning team or a loser? I always found winning a hell of a lot better than losing. Playing on a losing team sucked, fortunately I was blessed to be on winning teams much more than l was a losing team. Life was always better when we were winning as was the atmosphere.

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    star69

  • I agree. I would much rather have played at Notre Dame, say from in 1987-1990 than 2006-2009. It's a more nuanced question though, and maybe I didn't phrase the title and intro well enough. Obviously, its way more fun to play for a winning program. And i'm not talking about 2-10 vs. a BCS title, Im talking about 8-5, 9-4 v.s 11-2, etc. I mean ND was a better team than Michigan all around IMO this year, but the perception THIS YEAR, would be that UM is a more winning program.

    1) Also, sometimes its tough to predict how good a team is going to be while you are there based on how good they are while are in high school. Imagine Charlie Weis's 2006 recruiting class, they thought they were going to be on multiple BCS teams because ND had just gone to multiple BCS bowls.

    2) Winning also has no effect on your pro career or your degree though, or a decent part of the other intangibles of being a college student....

    IrishTN

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    NDIRISH4242

  • I-Tn, I'm in the minority who will agree with you. Let me preface that by saying I certainly don't believe that having a winning program is irrelevant. It is a factor, but there are a multiplicity of factors that influence a recruit's decision. Beyond that, most recruits can easily be led to believe that they will be part of the class that will take the team to the top. Now, that's probably not going to work at Rice or Duke, but for nearly twenty years, I suspect it's had some influence at Notre Dame. So many, here, have asked how can you sell an 8-5 program? For me, it would be easy. I'd point out how close we were to being 11-2. All we need are a few more RKG's, and "son, you're exactly what we are looking for to make that kind of difference."

    If you look at the list of top 30 or so recruits, you'll see schools like Missouri, Rutgers, Virginia, Texas A&M, Oregon St. and Houston (yeah, I know they had a good season this year, but I couldn't even tell you what conference they're in). Heck, Florida St. hasn't made any more of a splash than the Irish in recent years. Texas will still draw a boatload out of Texas even though they were 13-12 over the past two years.

    Yes, if ND gets back in the BCS conversation within the next few years, it will make a difference, but don't hold your breath that it will make the kind of difference you're hoping for. I feel pretty confident, it won't make nearly as much of a difference to recruits as it does to fans.

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    I may not be pretty, but I'm fast..... POTW 1/31/11 - 2/6/11

    HamOnWry22 ●

  • In the words of bill parcells, you are what your record says you are. Michigan 11-2, ND 8-5. We all say the same thing year after year. Fact is after so many similar years, we have to accept we are mediocre and that's how most outsiders will view us. Outside the top 25 and unranked again. Under acheivers. That's a big reason Michigan blew us away in recruiting.

    tomporraz ●

  • Michigan got that 11-2 record with players that were recruited during 3-9, 5-7 and 7-6 seasons.

    signature image

    I may not be pretty, but I'm fast..... POTW 1/31/11 - 2/6/11

    HamOnWry22 ●

  • But during those years they didn't have highly ranked classes. They over achieved this year and turned it into a great recruiting class. ND needs some positive momentum to land a great class. If they can upset a few teams and finish 11-2 I guarantee a five class.

    tomporraz ●

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