Expectations

[hilltopwildcat]

I don't know about bottom 5 talent. Low recruiting class yes, but our guys are pretty good. I would put our abilities at about average. What we do not have is any exceptional top 1% players at the skill positions. I think our linemen on both sides of the ball are above average in the way they play. May not be as strong or fast as the best of the best but they play football well.

How long has it been since we had a class ranked higher than 9th in the B12? And don't give me the "ratings don't matter" garbage.

[hilltopwildcat]

9-3 record is a big possibility and with an OU victory included; pretty fair job by CK and staff...

I'll take WVU right now but TTU and ISU.....whoa Nelly.

[wazucat]

The results so far have vastly exceeded my expectations. SEC road win, OU win, stomp KU, check check check. We could loose out and back into some no name bowl and I would still be happy. Pre -season if you had told me 6-6 and a bowl win I would have taken it and celebrated.

[KITNooga]

The results so far have vastly exceeded my expectations. SEC road win, OU win, stomp KU, check check check. We could loose out and back into some no name bowl and I would still be happy. Pre -season if you had told me 6-6 and a bowl win I would have taken it and celebrated.

i think this team has more to achieve. but you are right: so far so good. and I am pleased with what we have so far with a first year coach.

am I satisfied? no, but pleased.

we were close to beating Texas. rest of the way will be tough. we could lose them all. fingers crossed we stay healthy.

[tmcats]

bill's mantras about one game at a time and don't let a team beat you twice sure apply to ck's right now, don't they. i remember him saying that all the time after the nebraska game(s) when doctor tom was up there.

[hilltopwildcat]

bill's mantras about one game at a time and don't let a team beat you twice sure apply to ck's right now, don't they. i remember him saying that all the time after the nebraska game(s) when doctor tom was up there.

Not sure I understand. Is that because Snyder never beat Osborne?

[tmcats]

bill's mantras about one game at a time and don't let a team beat you twice sure apply to ck's right now, don't they. i remember him saying that all the time after the nebraska game(s) when doctor tom was up there.

Not sure I understand. Is that because Snyder never beat Osborne?

yes, he never beat osborne. and normally, his good teams never lost two in a row.

[AJcat7755]

I don't know about bottom 5 talent. Low recruiting class yes, but our guys are pretty good. I would put our abilities at about average. What we do not have is any exceptional top 1% players at the skill positions. I think our linemen on both sides of the ball are above average in the way they play. May not be as strong or fast as the best of the best but they play football well.

How long has it been since we had a class ranked higher than 9th in the B12? And don't give me the "ratings don't matter" garbage.

2015 finished 8th

Which included Frantz, Goolsby, Holtorf, Dishon, Sullivan, Walker, Schoen, Durham, Burns, Ball, Curl

[KITNooga]

Not sure I understand. Is that because Snyder never beat Osborne?

yes, he never beat osborne. and normally, his good teams never lost two in a row.

those were the years that after we lost to NU, the team seemed to realize how good they were and played a lot more 'free' after?

[Tbonespop]

I don't know about bottom 5 talent. Low recruiting class yes, but our guys are pretty good. I would put our abilities at about average. What we do not have is any exceptional top 1% players at the skill positions. I think our linemen on both sides of the ball are above average in the way they play. May not be as strong or fast as the best of the best but they play football well.

How long has it been since we had a class ranked higher than 9th in the B12? And don't give me the "ratings don't matter" garbage.

I'll give you plenty of "garbage" to choke on.

Our all time highest "rated" recruits are listed in the following order:
1) Marvin Simmons, 2) Chris Boggas, 3) Daniel Davis, 4) Ayo Saba, 5) Eugene Germany, 6) Matt Boss, 7) Jerome Janet, 8) Nick Patton, and 9) Josh Freeman.

Out of that list of our most highly rated recruits of all time, I'd only take Saba and Freeman as recruits if I had to pick them for a second time. I'd say recruiting "rankings" are hit and miss at the very best. No offense to people like Dereck Young and other folks who do the recruiting rankings, but if they were really that good at truly evaluating talent, they wouldn't be journalists working for internet websites. They would be making a high 6 figure salary at a P5 football program. The bottom line is, they don't know how players will pan out. They just simply don't know. Just like scouts for the NFL or MLB, they just don't know. Players can physically develop a LOT between the years of 18 and 21, especially with great coaching and S&C. The difference between most 4* and 5* kids and 3* kids who get good development in college from when they are 18-21 years old, just isn't that much of a difference. If you simply look at the rosters of OU and Texas then compared them to ours, you would think there is no way we would even deserve to be on the same field as them. In the end, we beat OU and lost to Texas by 3 points on a last second FG. Based on recruiting rankings, those teams should have beaten us by +4 touchdowns.

The bottom line is, it just doesn't work that way. A moderately rated 3* kid who gets great development along with S&C can compete with 4* kids all day long. Certainly there are athletic freaks out there who would be fantastic players to get on our team. Yet, the main "Core" of the team being mid to upper 3* players who develop into great players is very common.

What we need are a few players that are true difference makers for us that push us over the top.