All of the teams are supposed to be identical except for 1) baseline prestige, 2) conference, and 3) location, right?  Well, wrong.

Well, here is my resume in Allen (solid but not great, including one year on probation), where I coach Oklahoma State.  I'm not looking to move, but I thought it was interesting... I'm listed as "step backwards" almost everywhere, including Villanova, Loyola Marymount, the MAC, the MVC, the MWC...

Here are the schools where I'm "not qualified", all because of my reputation:

Dayton
St. Joe's
FSU
Iowa
Memphis
Utah
Arkansas
Florida
Miss. St.

...it all makes sense, right?  Well, I left out a few:

Brown
Columbia
Cornell
Harvard
Princeton
Yale

... end of list.

Mind you, I'm "step backwards" at Duquesne, Fordham, and Bucknell.  Does HD really have some kind of reputation check in place at the traditional Ivies?  That's awesome, but how did we not know about this?

We did...  I don't know how many times I've seen something along the lines of "every school is looking for something a little bit different, some will be more concerned with your reputation or loyalty than others, while some will care primarily about your record of success" from admin...

...really?  I thought that was randomized, though... I wonder if UNLV cares less that I'm dirty.

From the players guide:

While your agent's advice is crucial for knowing where to apply, it's important to remember that he is not working with the full body of information. Schools hire coaches based on 4 categories.

1. Success
2. Experience
3. Loyalty
4. Reputation

Your agent takes only the first 2 of these into account. Therefore, a school that you are qualified for, or perhaps even a school that is a considered a step backwards, may choose not to hire you due to concerns about your loyalty and reputation. Every school has different standards for all 4 categories, so the only sure way to know that you are eligible to be hired is to have an A+ in both loyalty and reputation.

There's also a difference in HCA depending on the school. Not sure exactly where I read it (here or on a CC), but Indiana will have an easier time getting their HCA up and having it stay there than Northwestern because there is a built in "fan loyalty" (or something like that). I would expect there to be more little quirks like that in this game that we don't know about, including the Ivies having a higher standard for coaching (I've noticed this too).

But that's baseline prestige-related, isn't it?  There's not like a Utah State effect where the HCA is relatively higher than the baseline?

Posted by cornfused on 9/29/2011 3:21:00 PM (view original):
But that's baseline prestige-related, isn't it?  There's not like a Utah State effect where the HCA is relatively higher than the baseline?

I believe it's not base-line related, there is actually a fan loyalty rating for each school (in D1 at least) based on their perception of real life fan loyalty.

ages ago, it was said that schools vary about much they care about rep and loyalty

UNC-Asheville has a higher "fan loyalty" built in than does Northwestern.  I'm not kidding.  CS told me as much about 15 seasons ago.  Thusly, HCA is stupid. 

Posted by cornfused on 9/29/2011 1:46:00 PM (view original):
...really?  I thought that was randomized, though... I wonder if UNLV cares less that I'm dirty.

corn, I called my buddy Tark on your behalf. Apparently, you are not considered quite dirty enough for UNLV.

I'm sorry to have to break this to you.

Apparently Austin Peay is quite the top tier.  Except for Iowa, every single job opening (including FSU, Villanova, etc) is considered a "Step Backward".  WTF?

Heck, in Knight every team was always listed as a "step down" for me when I was at Eastern Illinois. Granted I got them up to a B prestigue, but EVERY team (A-prestigue teams in top conferences) was always a "step down". It baffled me too.

Posted by girt25 on 9/29/2011 9:48:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cornfused on 9/29/2011 1:46:00 PM (view original):
...really?  I thought that was randomized, though... I wonder if UNLV cares less that I'm dirty.

corn, I called my buddy Tark on your behalf. Apparently, you are not considered quite dirty enough for UNLV.

I'm sorry to have to break this to you.

it's ok, i'm going to destroy your conference in recruiting this year.  I just bought myself a car dealership or five and I'm now in a torrid relationship with T. Boone Pickens.  The T, by the way, is for tiger.