It’s not going to matter. We’ll still recruit in the 40’s and try to tell people we “have a logo too”.
I have no clue. If I did have the answer I would be King
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Trophies are a symbol of accomplishment but so are other measurables of the success of a team during a season, or a program over a period of time.
It’s starts with being over .500. That indicates a winning program. It’s the first goal of any team to be winners. Next would be championships. I would include the bedlam championship in that analysis because you always want to beat your main rival. Along the way, you can have a winning program over multiple years, awards for statistics and performance, both team and individual awards. Those also attract recruits.
Then the intangibles, a morally outstanding culture, teaching these kids to be good citizens, comraderie, work ethic, respect, sportsmanship, etc. Not every player expects to go pro and not every team can win championships, so these are important tools and life lessons. Winning isn’t everything.
The bowl games were always just for show, to give your team extra valuable practice time, to try some different things, to have a nice bonding time for players, to bring revenue into the program, to get national exposure to help in recruiting, and even to give some other players playing time. By the way, some bowls cost a team for travel etc more than they make from the bowl, but it does help with recruiting so probably a good investment.
I want to win and trophies are the best example of that, but these are just kids starting their adult lives, so there are many other important things going on here that I can appreciate and enjoy.
All that said, I think Gundy needs to hire a blind squirrel to help us out a little on that championship trophy.
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Yet we haven’t had a top 25 recruiting class in 12 years. So no, I’m not buying that argument. Your chances of winning at a high level (championships) is less likely to happen if we’re not invested in finding ways to make recruiting better.
I agree with your overview on the season. I completely disagree with you describing this bowl situation as “perfect”. OSU could go beat A&M 42-10 & it won’t affect recruiting one single bit, with one single player. First off, the early signing day is Dec 20. The vast majority of guys will be signed that day. OSU will likely sign 15-18 or more players……which is a week before the A&M game is even played. Secondly, recruits very rarely look at the head to hear results of one single game. It happens occasionally between OU-TX, Ohio St-Mich & so on with some bigtime guys. But OSU-A&M? No. A recruit will care far more about the position coach, NFL preparation, Conf affiliation, HC, depth chart, location, proximity to home, & now NIL……well before who won the 2023 Texas Bowl. Lastly……A&M approaches recruiting in a way that involves bags of cash. OSU isn’t doing that either. So this bowl game is anything but “perfect”
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Perhaps our recruiting is good. As good as we can get with the resources we have. Stillwater is out in the country. Not everyone likes to live out in the country. How much money do our alumni make? Do they donate? What academic programs do we offer? Are they world class? Is an OSU degree as valuable as a Stanford degree, or Notre Dame, or OU? What coaching do we have? Will it develop players for the pro’s? Will the players get as much exposure playing for OSU rather than Michigan?
We are like the majority of schools around the country. The blue bloods have something different. It began with more money than us and then became a tradition of winning bringing in even more money, more coaches, and the best players. I think it would be difficult for us to build that winning tradition year in and year out as it is for most schools. We even had good coaches. Jimmy Johnson, Les Miles. We couldn’t keep them. Now with NIL, every year is a complete crapshoot. Money will be the key, as always, and we don’t have it.
@ketchup Good list on the recruiting draws. I would add girls, girls, girls in there. These 18 year old kids moving out of Moms house have an appetite for girls and college fulfills that desire.I have no doubt that a lot of schools bring girls into the recruiting. A few schools got in trouble for pimping girls to recruits.
How many players actually go to the pros? A handful from a team of 50 players, so most of them really want a good education, and a good college experience so they can get a job, start a family and make connections for life. Moms like that too.
All good points.
What would be a “better” bowl matchup and location for Oklahoma State?
Ok, a lot to touch on here. The “girls, girls, girls” thing is very outdated. Now listen…….”hosts” are still a thing. But this isn’t 1985 anymore. The amount of recruiting visits like that are largely a thing of the past. Again, it goes on……but not near as much as it used to & is rare nowadays. Schools themselves being tied to Title IX lawsuits have made those things go by the wayside.
On guys signing for whatever reason. I can promise you, of the 25 guys or so that sign with an upper D-1 school like OU/OSU/A&M/Texas….you may have 1 or 2 who are MORE concerned with something other than playing professional football. Again, im not saying these guys don’t care one bit about their education. But let’s be 100% clear……they’re at that school because of football as the absolute biggest reason.
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If not in the playoff, you want the Cotton Bowl. You get to recruit all week in the DFW. Bring players in to your practice. Show them what you’re about. For an Oklahoma school to get that type of free PR & access to that fertile recruiting ground……is massive. Get to likely say that you won your Conf. Likely say you’re finishing in the top 15.
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This bowl game was good for us. I’d rather face A&M in Houston then play in the “Pop-tart” bowl regardless of the bowl tiering. We were never getting the Alamo bowl unless OU made an NY6 bowl.
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@aix_xpert You say this bowl game was “good for us”. What does this particular bowl game add for the Cowboys?
Let me ask you a question. Where were our recruiting rankings at before NIL? What’s changed in recruiting for OSU? I’ll give you the answer = nothing. We still recruit just like we always have.
Relative to the alternative. I’ve been expecting OSU to play in the “Pop-tart” bowl. At least this bowl is against a team who has name recognition with the players we are recruiting and is in the region we are recruiting as opposed to playing NC State in Orlando.
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The Cotton Bowl isn’t a dedicated Big12 bowl anymore though. Its part of the NY6 rotation, so you have to be a top 12 team to play in it. This year is Ohio State vs. Mizzou. Last year was USC vs. Tulane. If OSU wants to be in that bowl game, the coaches need to figure out their offensive strategy before losing to South Alabama rather than afterwards.
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I won’t argue it being better than the alternative
I’m aware. The question was what Bowl game would be a perfect fit for the Cowboys. The Cotton Bowl is it.
That was all I was saying. I think I’ve been very clear in other posts that while the team may have exceeded my expectations for this year, we are continuously failing my expectations of the program.
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You hit on a lot of truth here and really points out the hurricane strength head winds that OSU is fighting in order to get to the next level. At this point it feels like an impossible task.
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So after all that “good stuff” really what you’re saying is “do better”.
Is the Alamo Bowl the “perfect” bowl for OU this year?