Urban’s Real Goal - End Noon Kickoffs
It seemed both a bit odd and somewhat arrogant of Urban Meyer to suggest that the conference as a whole needs to recruit better. On the one hand, if the Big Ten got more respect nationally, Ohio State might have won a national championship after going undefeated this past season. On the other hand, if his job is to beat the competition, does he really want them to get harder to beat? Go to the tape of his original interview and his real goal becomes more apparent.
You can listen to his actual comments here if you haven't already. To be fair, you'll hear the radio host leads him to complain about Big Ten recruiting a little bit so it's not as though he necessarily was on a mission to scold the conference for a lack of recruiting success.
In the interview, he seemed to consider the noon kickoffs to be "a problem". He went on, "Our best game, our best recruiting sales pitch was Nebraska. Obviously we played well, but it was too traditionally strong teams, a beautiful night, electric atmosphere, that would compete with anyone in the country. We did very well that night when we had players there. If you want to get players to your game, it's hard to get them there at noon. It's hard to really appreciate the atmosphere because it's much different and once again everyone's got a constituency they have to worry about, mine is simply the 18-year old player coming out of high school. I want to show him a beautiful facility, an electric atmosphere that can compete with anyone in the country".
So it's not that Urban really wants to see Illinois or Minnesota land more four-star players. Rather, he wants to get the conference to change it's scheduling philosophy so that there are more games later in the day or at night so that he can recruit better. But unless he can get the rest of the Big Ten to agree, it won't happen.
Perhaps Meyer could address the problem by scheduling some tougher competition in September (Buffalo? Florida A&M?). He'll get Wisconsin, Iowa, and Penn State all at home before November. Any one or all of those games could be played at night if there's enough interest from the television partners. Sure, it might be good for recruiting to play Michigan in prime time. Then again, the kids might prefer a little sunshine and a tolerable temperature over a higher average blood alcohol level for the fans in attendance.
Ol' Uncle Urban may suggest he's looking out for the interests of the conference. But really, it sounds more like he just wants to make his job easier.
2/11/2013
Mr. Hanway, of course you are right in suggesting this arrogant s.o.b. cares only about himself…however, methinks this guy is as phony as the “Senator” remember him? What most OSU fans don’t want to think about (and will probably happen down the road anyway), is simply this: this phony did not retire because of health reasons…he did so because his program at Florida was about to IMPLODE! And it did…by the end of this next season I will have callouses on my knees from praying our coaching staff prepares what should be a really solid team and kicks OSU’s butt but good…there! Now I need a Bud…
2/12/2013
Of course Meyer wants later kickoffs in order to improve recruiting. But, even though I’m no fan of his, I think its pretty unfair to insinuate that this is some type of some dastardly plot on his part. I’ve read numerous articles in the OWH this year alone in which Bo lamented the difficulties and limitations involved when bringing in recruits on weekends with early kickoffs.
As Bo has explained, this is especially a problem for schools like NU (and, obviously, OSU) that recruit nationally. By the time potential recruits play for their H.S. on Friday nite, then travel halfway across the country to the program they’re visiting, early kickoffs leave very, very little time for coaches (or players, for that matter) to meet with them or show off the facilities, much less deliver a decent sales pitch.
Whatever one thinks of Urban Meyer, it seems to me that in this instance he is making a very valid point - one that would benefit most, if not all, the programs in the Big Ten.
2/12/2013
Almost forgot - the one positive about your article is that it gave me an opportunity to use the word “dastardly”. Gotta love getting that in there!
Berlin, Ohio
2/12/2013
Cody, I love people with biases who can set them aside and bring balance to something.
I couldn’t stand Urban Meyer when he was at Florida - for all the reasons given. I agreed with the descriptions of “arrogant” and the like. Now that I’ve seen what he is about, and biological impossibilities aside, I want to have his children. It’s just one of those things. If Bo had a stroke and Nebraska lured Urban Meyer to Lincoln, all you who now hate his guts would be lining up to have his children. It’s just the nature of the beast.
But just in terms of logical analysis, the article here seems to contend that the goals of wanting the BIG to recruit better and wanting to have more afternoon/evening games are mutually exclusive - and no matter how I try to process that, I don’t get it.
A stronger BIG is good for every team in the BIG. Recruiting better players who can compete with those teams down south is essential to making the league better. If the league is perceived as, and actually is, a top league, that helps poll numbers, SOS, power rankings, and everything that will be factored into any BIG team getting to the playoffs. So while our author seems doubtful, I am sure that every BIG coach and AD is all for better recruiting helping the BIG to be a better league. Primetime games are showcases for BIG teams to sell recruits on their product. So, someone is going to have to explain to me the inconsistancy in Urban Meyer advocating both. Otherwise, this is just an angry off-seaon exercise in hate. :)
2/12/2013
WinOSU: I don’t know about “hate” - that’s an overly used and abused expression. However, an apt expression may be:
“Bloggers will blog.”
Berlin, Ohio
2/13/2013
I put a smiley face after it! Of course I was exaggerating!!! Sports hate is different than the real thing. We “hate” that coach until he is our coach.
Given that I’m getting too damned old, I’m getting in a mode where I try to love all of CFB, not just the Buckeyes. But nothing can do away with the hate I have form scUM. :)
2/13/2013
Sorry Win—how do I do a red faced emoticon? Totally missed the smiley. Bloggers still gotta blog though. :-))
Cedar Rapids Iowa
2/16/2013
We as a conference need to recruit nationally. CA,HI,and all up and down the west coast have been great recruiting areas for us in the past we need to play at 2:30pm at the earliest which puts it 12:30 wc time. We have pulled guys like Carriker,Suh, M. Brown,R. Brown, Prince, and others. RECRUIT RECRUIT RECRUIT RECRUIT AND RECRUITB MORE!!!
Berlin, Ohio
2/16/2013
Absolutely. If you look at Alabama, they are playing a smash-mouth style of football and they are recruiting SIZE at every position. The difference is that they also have exceptional speed with that size - at the skill positions and the D line in particular. That combo of size and speed is what makes them terrors - that and how Nick Satan develops them - but you have to have the raw materials to work with and those size/speed guys don’t grow on trees. There are only a handful of programs that can actually reel them in.
I looked at the top 30-rated frosh entering the BIG last year. Ohio State had 11, Michigan had 10, and the rest of the league had 9 (no team with more than 2). That is what has to change. We have two programs recruiting at a very high level and 10 (soon to be 12) that aren’t. Penn State might be able to make it 3 when they get through their sanctions. Nebraska has the tradition to do it, but the location is a bear. Bottom line: the BIG will not be an elite conference until they are pulling a large number of elite athletes into the league.