I decided to let the dust settle after signing day. In terms of the national ranking of teams on their success of signing players, I have seen ranking for NIU as high as 83 and as low as 98. Are we really satisfied with those numbers? All season long we took pride in watching our team rise in the polls. Maybe we were not top 15 good, as our last 2 games proved, but we were certainly one of the county's top 30 teams. After 12-2 and all of that positive national exposure, we can't recruit better than 82 teams?
2 things stick out. Our head football coach said on several interviews he was happy with our signings. Would he be just as happy if we were ranked 83 after this past season? The D-back from Florida will be a very good player and the O-line player from Crystal Lake will start at center in his second year. After that we got good players. 83rd good. The other point worth considering is that the MAC had 9 teams in the bottom 20% of this year's rankings. Are we suffering from the association with the MAC?
As I read the interesting thoughts today about the renovation of Huskie stadium, I saw a comment about dreaming big. If we are going to dream big we need to run away from the MAC. And coach, please set your sights for recruiting a little higher than 83.

I think this was a fantastic recruiting class, on paper probably our best one ever. We got some guys that we wouldn't have touched in the past. Who cares what the experts say. They usually rank us last in the MAC even though we contend every year. I do agree with your point that as long as we're in the MAC our recruiting classes will never be ranked higher than the bottom of the power conferences but again, so what. Just win baby.

I wouldn't look much into rankings. Teams outside of the major conferences are POORLY evaluated and there have been many instances where our recruits jump ship to a major conference and automatically that players ranking goes up. If your disappointed that NIU can't compete with the SEC in recruiting then that's a different story.

The coach doesn't care about the recruiting rankings, and he shouldn't. I refuse to believe that all 3 of the coaching staffs in the last 4 years was somehow able to make low-rated recruits play better than 75% or more of FBS schools for 4 years running, and get us to have top-line success in the MAC with middle-of-the-MAC recruits. That isn't happening. It's the recruiting rankings that are off-base.

Repeat after me:

Recruiting rankings don't mean anything for schools not in the major 5 conferences.

#BruceWeber

(02-11-2014 02:14 PM)7 Wrote:  #BruceWeber

#RonZook

Just as long as WMU and Toledo are ahead of us, I am happy with the rankings.

(02-11-2014 02:04 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  Repeat after me:

Recruiting rankings don't mean anything for schools not in the major 5 conferences.

And even for those schools it doesn't mean much. Texas always has had one of the best recruiting classes and are one of the biggest jokes going in college football. Illinois also always has good classes and they are probably the worst program in FBS.

(02-11-2014 03:20 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(02-11-2014 02:04 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  Repeat after me:

Recruiting rankings don't mean anything for schools not in the major 5 conferences.

And even for those schools it doesn't mean much. Texas always has had one of the best recruiting classes and are one of the biggest jokes going in college football. Illinois also always has good classes and they are probably the worst program in FBS.

The overall theme of your message is correct but your details are off. Texas may always have one of the better recruiting classes rating wise, but they also have probably the most pressure out of any college to succeed in football and it's well known. Illinois, on the other hand, may have better recruiting classes than NIU, but their classes are nowhere on par with what they should be and with what other Big Ten teams are bringing in. Illinois' recruiting class is ranked right around 70 so their classes are not that "good."

Ill be happy if this class wins 2+ MACCs and 3+ bowls.

I'll echo everyone else and you much of the same every year at this time.

Recruiting ranking means next to nothing. NIU has always prided itself on finding the players that are right for NIU. Give me an underrated recruit who plays with a chip on his shoulder and was rated a 2 star versus a prima donna kid who thinks he's God's gift, isn't a team player, and is a 4 star any day of the week. It's all about the TEAM and at the end of the day, wins or loses. I think they've done a great job recruiting the right guys throughout the years and that's gotten us to where we are now. Since this year class is one of, if not, the best classes I'd say that they've consistently done a great job with the players they get and have consistently found the right recruits for the program.

To me recruiting classes shouldn't be given a rank until those players are finished with college. THEN rank the class on how they've done through the years. There's a ranking I want to see!

(02-11-2014 02:38 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Just as long as WMU and Toledo are ahead of us, I am happy with the rankings.

PJ Fleck is selling immediate playing time so that should keep him ahead for a while!

The only ranking that counts is the winner of the conference title....that is why they play the games.

B

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

It seems to me the best measure of recruiting comes with wins and losses 3-5 years down the line, not stars awarded before they have ever stepped on a college football field.

(02-14-2014 09:33 AM)BobL Wrote:  It seems to me the best measure of recruiting comes with wins and losses 3-5 years down the line, not stars awarded before they have ever stepped on a college football field.

Absolutely.....

(02-11-2014 02:04 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  Repeat after me:

Recruiting rankings don't mean anything for schools not in the major 5 conferences.

+1

Boise St was never in the top 70 in rankings when they went off and won their BCS bowls, UCF was never in the top 50 and hey won the Fiesta Bowl and Im sure our Orange Bowl Huskies were never top 70. So BFD about rankings, the question is did we get enough good players? Only time will tell.

(02-11-2014 01:31 PM)Huskie George Wrote:  I decided to let the dust settle after signing day. In terms of the national ranking of teams on their success of signing players, I have seen ranking for NIU as high as 83 and as low as 98. Are we really satisfied with those numbers? All season long we took pride in watching our team rise in the polls. Maybe we were not top 15 good, as our last 2 games proved, but we were certainly one of the county's top 30 teams. After 12-2 and all of that positive national exposure, we can't recruit better than 82 teams?
2 things stick out. Our head football coach said on several interviews he was happy with our signings. Would he be just as happy if we were ranked 83 after this past season? The D-back from Florida will be a very good player and the O-line player from Crystal Lake will start at center in his second year. After that we got good players. 83rd good. The other point worth considering is that the MAC had 9 teams in the bottom 20% of this year's rankings. Are we suffering from the association with the MAC?
As I read the interesting thoughts today about the renovation of Huskie stadium, I saw a comment about dreaming big. If we are going to dream big we need to run away from the MAC. And coach, please set your sights for recruiting a little higher than 83.

This is where I think many people are delusional. Let me start by saying that we have deserved everything we have gotten. National exposure, Orange Bowl, Records, Heisman Candidate, Championships and so on. But to consider us a top 30 program is absolutely dillusional. Crazy. Are yo utelling me that only 29 teams in teh country are better than us? You are nuts.

Let me break this down further.

Right now in the Big 12 we would be underdogs against 8 of the 10 teams.

vs the SEC we would be Dogs vs 13 of the 14 teams.

vs the Big 10 we would be the Dog against 8 of the 12.

vs the PAC 12 Dogs vs 10 more teams

and vs the ACC we would be underdogs against 12 of their squads.


That is 51 teams that we would have big time trouble with and msot likely lose if we played at a neutral site. This doesn;t include any other mid majors or anyone from the American.


Ranking the top 25 is not actually the 25 best teams or programs in America. It's not even close. There will never be a MAC team considered one of the top 30 or 40 team in the country . Just won't. Be mad if you want but it's true. Illinois recruiting class is rated almost 20 spots higher than ours and they are an aweful big 10 team. It's life in the MAC. When we get respect we jsut need to appreciate it, but to think we could compete year in and year out with the top 30 teams in America is nuts.