Posted by oldresorter on 9/14/2011 7:06:00 PM (view original):
da - I did not even want to broach this subject, but some of the current markets are ridiculous, it used to be I was making fun of Gil for being able to put together a 825 team in Colorado while I had to play with 750 teams - I saw a team that was near 900 not too long ago, and mid 800 teams are now common place.

Yet, other markets are simply battlegrounds, competitive, fair, and cut throat - many coaches do enjoy this, I know.   But the easy markets exist and put together great teams, and that is not taking account at all, any collusion or drafting that still may be going on, in which case, those coaches have so much more an edge than b4.  In the old system, I didn't really care much about the cheating (or unbalanced markets), since I could get as good a team by playing normal, now one cannot.  And just to add, I have a few teams where my markets are very good and I almost never get in battles, so I have definitely reaped some of the reward of the new system myself.

Recruting always has been the weak link in the HD game, but the combo of FSS taking away strategic molding of players thru practice plans, as well as the recent recruit generation fix, recruiting is way too important now, again, esp given the way markets are, the way recruiting is set up to be local, as well as any pockets of deceit that may exist.

in the defense of the state of colorado... that was ONE team :) not teams :)

obviously that statement is made tounge in cheek. but i agree with the premise that the regional aspect of recruiting, and the differences in the markets, is one of the most unfair parts of the game. that has long been the case. until the regional aspect of recruiting is eliminated or diminished, recruiting simply can't be fair. not talking mid major vs low BCS vs high BCS now... im talking a+ team to a+ team, b+ team to b+ team.

my general comment on the whole topic-

i havent watched the population numbers in some time. however, i watched them as closely (or more closely) as any coach for a solid year after the new engine came out. the simple reality is the d1 population numbers took a nose dive. d2 was either constant or there was a jump in usage (possibly resulting from reward point change for d2/d2). d1 population drop was amazingly severe. i compared it to every season ever, the natural ebb and flow of the game, and there is simply no doubt that the d1 drop was unprecedented.

you can argue why or why not that happened. but i don't think its fair to claim it didn't happen. i personally think it is silly to claim it was not related to the one and only gigantic change that happened just before the mass emigration from d1, but that is just my opinion :) 

also, i think its very important to note that with the current scenario, a smart d1 mid major can somewhat compete with higher end bcs schools. i think its damn near impossible to have a consistent top 10 type program, but you can have a top 25 top team most years. however, if you add another 50 mid majors to d1, i think this gets harder and harder, and a smaller and smaller % of mid majors are able to compete. so the mass emigration from d1, regardless of the cause, really softens the blow of the d1 recruiting change with respect to mid majors and lower end bcs schools. but the current situation should not be the metric of what is acceptable and what is not. the metric of what d1 has been for most of the game, what i would consider the "desired state" if you will, should be used. and with 150 coaches per world, i think mid majors are screwed, plain and simple. and mid/low bcs schools for that matter. the days of getting mediocre recruits cheap and being able to fight hard against the bigger schools for 1-2 good recruits would be gone.

i recently had the experience of recruiting after signings. the players left were pretty damn bad, scouting every available recruit. you add 50 schools, or 150 signings, and you are going to have some really, really bad recruits being signed. forget messing up d1.  the pillaging of d2 teams would be unprecedented as well, and would be a major disaster, IMO. until the pool of solid but not great recruits is bigger, its more or less impossible for this game to sustain the population we saw in d1 for the majority of this game.

Added Tark 63 numbers.

I'd like to see a graph or chart please.

lol

Updated. I'll put up Tark when recruiting starts.

Added Rupp and Tark.

Updated

Updated

Updated. Been almost a year and a half.

No trend of losses across the board, but Naismith D3 and Crum D2 lost 30+.

D1 has gained members in 4 out of 6 worlds.