Translation: "I really really really wants to put you on the 53. But you just aren't good enough at this level. Since I don't want you to think I'm a jack@ss for cutting you myself, I'm going to blame it on the chart. It's not me, the numbers are the bad guy. I still like you, Tim." And he's right, the chart will probably tell the story. Numbers don't usually lie. FWIW, and that ain't much, I like Tim and only wish him the best.

This is why there is some truth to the "stars don't matter" mantra. Recruiting services don't get it right 100% of the time, especially as you near the top tier. There are fewer recruits there, so each miss is a higher percentage of the whole, and expectations are much much greater, though there might in reality be very little separation between a high 3 and a lower 4 star recruit. Coaching and development are a significant part of the equation, and that includes coach evaluations apart from recruiting services. Tech didn't just hit the lottery. Someone saw potential, and ignored the stars to take a chance. Yes, on average, recruiting rankings are predictive of performance, especially when you get to the top 10-15 teams who stock pile 4 and 5 stars, increasing the hit to miss ratio. But it's not the whole pie.

Their top end talent might get an upgrade, which is no small thing. But they were already recruiting at a top 10 level. You can only sign 25 players per year on average. It might actually help teams such as Arkansas and Mizzou who recruit Texas in getting a few more 4 stars overlooked by Texas. I'm not holding my breath, but one can hope.

Agreed.

Yeah, it fits. That's exactly what they did last year. Except it was not PAUSE but STOP that they hit. Then they came back later and said "no wait, I meant PAUSE, not STOP! UN-PAUSE, UN-PAUSE!"

I hope it plays out that way. Texas has a ton more talent than Arkansas but also is dealing with a new coach and QB. Arkansas also has a new QB and a new-ish coach, considering last year's absence of Spring. It should be fun. I think the Hogs have a chance, but odds are probably against a win. I just hope my Hogs are at least competitive for the entire game. The team is on the rise, and things are looking up. Go Hogs!

It might be fun watching that fanbase writhe for the next dozen years.

Agreed. And classier than most. And by most, I'm not singling out Texas. I mean most here, probably myself included, LOL. Looking forward to the renewed matchups.

THIS^^^

I'm certainly not obsessed with the rule. It's the rule. I just can't get over the big deal the b12 has made over it. You don't see SEC officials feeling the need to clarify the rule for the gator chomp. It's ridiculous and makes Texas and its fans look like a bunch of whiny babies, even if they aren't the ones making a big deal of it. If I were a Texas fan, I would be ticked off at that type of attention.

Ditto

"Also, you may enjoy seeing how the better educated alumni of Texas behave. We are from The University of Texas" Monetary and marketing exposure - check Overall athletic programs success - check Arrogance and inflated ego - check Delusional self-awareness and sense of importance - check Well, that checked all my boxes, welcome to the SEC, Longhorns! We'll see how that academic prowess plays on gamedays in the SEC. It's going to be fun to watch.

Agreed. Taunting is taunting. But the fact the b12 officials felt it was necessary to single out the horns down taunt without mention of any other school taunt should tell you all you need to know. UF opponents have been receiving taunting penalties for doing the gator chomp at Florida players forever. It's no different. SEC officials have never had to clarify taunting rules in regard to the gator chomp. The funny thing in all this is that taunting goes on all game long at the line of scrimmage, and officials know it. It's called smack talk, and it almost always precedes tempers flaring to the point of physical action, usually resulting to a penalty... on the player who reacts to the original physical action. What a wonderful dance is college football. But yeah, if I were a TX fan, I would be ticked off at the b12 officials, not for the flags, but for making my team and fans look like such crybabies.

Ha ha "teets up", do we get penalized for that one? I'm gonna have to try throwing double deuces. Wait, exactly how many teets does a steer have? At least as many as it has balls, right? Right?

Yeah, 9 years is such an eternity . How long you think it's gonna take Mullen? I guess it's been 4 eternities since Georgia's last and millennia since Arkansas' only NC. Actually, that does sound about right.

(6) ESPN will make sure the CFP is expanded. As much as I hate money as the primary driving force, there is simply too much of it on the table to back out of those plans. I'm sure Sumter23 is correct about the disdane for Sankey. But I'm not sure it will have much of an effect. The wheels are already in motion. Might the CFP seek to limit conference member participation? Perhaps. But I would be surprised if that number is less than 4 members per season.

This made me LOL.

Well, they can threaten to withhold funding, as the Texas legislature did to force the Big12 to include the smaller TX schools when it took TX and aTm. But I'm not sure that threat even garners a shrug from OU, considering the money that is on the table.

LOL +1

This ^^^

You're right, SEC teams schedule SEC wannabe teams such as Texas and OU. Guess we need to up our game there.

Actually not a bad idea. I'd love to be there for something like that.

Amen. Unfortunately for me, I can no longer drink tea. My kidneys consistently turn it into stones. I love me some home sweet tea, but my kidneys hate it, and don't love it THAT much.

That was the FIRST thing I thought of, along with national marketability/name recognition. Notre Dame, tOSU, Alabama, etc. have huge national brands. But local markets, in particular the ones in which university athletics does not take a back seat to pro sports, and those for which there are not a lot of competing teams, could stand to benefit well in the grand scheme of things. Some teams, especially in the northeast, with larger markets will play 2nd fiddle to the pro teams. Of course, social media branding can level that field for those who can create or already have a presence and a following.

I'm not opposed to NIL, but without some form of regulation, it's gonna be the wild wild west for a while, especially considering the variance from state to state and school to school. Take recruiting, for example. The NCAA enforces dead periods for coaches, in which contact with recruits is limited. But are there any limits to companies contacting recruits at any time? The big basketball scandal involved in part agents steering recruits to specific schools for big shoe companies. What's going to prevent companies from encouraging recruits towards specific schools that said companies believe likely improves their bottom lines on deals they make, or perhaps away from schools that have contracts with competing companies. I certainly wouldn't fault an athlete for factoring in better opportunities to her/his decision. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.

Interesting 2-5 (his list above, not seeds) lost game 1, and Vandy needed extra innings to walk it off. I wouldn't have done any better picking them. I probably would have picked Tennessee to win it all. I know, series ain't over yet. Anything can and does happen in baseball.

Expected a game 1 win, but um... WOW. Bats woke up. Go Hogs!

I guess they see the writing on the wall and have decided it's pointless to even bring up those arguments. Might as well speak their true minds on the issue.

I thought the same thing. Wow, not even an attempt to disguise the concern as something other than a money issue. Nothing spoken of the old tried and true arguments of academic calendar issues, health and safety of players, decreased importance of bowls or regular season, nothing but ticket sales.

+1