UT has a four year trailing recruiting average (using Rivals numbers) of of 12.25. MSU has a four year trailing recruiting average of 34.25. That is a huge difference in talent. Granted, I have not corrected for the attrition from UT's 2009 recruiting class, but even if it was as bad as 98th we should still average the same talent level of MSU.
Here is an interesting problem though: I have tracked a few of these games this year, using recruiting averages as a comparison. Of the upsets, meaning where a team lost who had better talent, MOST were with the biggest disparities in talent. For instance:
Auburn (10), Ole Miss (23.75).
Texas (3.24), Oklahoma (11.25)
W. Virginia (37.25), Texas (3.25)
Vanderbilt (57), Mizzou (35)
Arizona St. (40), Cal (23.25)
Cincinatti (54.5), Virginia Tech (25.25)
UT, MSU (for another instance).
The games that are close in talent, have a much higher chance of turning out where the more talented team wins, in general. It is very odd, and I don't know what to make of it, yet.
I don't know how to explain what happened tonight. I have tried to be objective. I have tried to give the benefit of the doubt when that has been warranted. I just don't know what to do or think anymore.
Here is what I wrote in another thread, and I think it bears repeating:
I am sure we have always seen the movie "Rudy", right?
I am sure that most of us pulled for Rudy, we wanted him to get his shot, he had heart, he had fight, and at the end he got his shot (for one play). We all left the movie theater feeling good.
In hindsight, the problem with the movie Rudy is that it makes you think that if you have heart that just getting a shot is good enough. That heart makes you a winner, regardless of what you actually accomplished. In reality, Rudy was totally inconsequential to the success of the football program, but what a feel good story.
I have tried to be totally objective. I have tried to give a benefit of the doubt. I even think that there are some legitimate factors that could contribute to the first half performance such as Dooley not being on the sideline due to his freak hip injury/surgery.
I really like Dooley, I do. I think he is a stand up man, a man of character, of heart. I think he legitimately wants success, he is doing all that he can. It even hurt me to see him on crutches. I can't bring myself to say "Fire Dooley", but we had the talent to win this game. Nothing ever seems to go right with him on the sidelines. Maybe it isn't his fault, maybe it is just terrible luck, but at some point you have to just say "Rudy, you don't get to dress because you don't contribute to the success of the football program no matter how bad you want it."
That doesn't make a good movie, but it is reality.