Want a reason to get excited for Brian Kelly? How about this?

Browsing DomerDomain, I found a topic where a poster put up the recruiting rankings of Kelly's Cincinatti team from 2006-2009. My mind blown, I decided to go back further and add to it with Central Michigan.

Central Michigan University:

Brian Kelly coached at Central Michigan from 2004-2006. In those seasons, his teams went 4-7, 6-5 and 10-4, respectively (the 2006 team won their 10th game in a bowl and were not coached by Kelly, who had already left for Cincinatti. Despite having some of the worst rated talent in the Mid-American Conference, Kelly's 2006 team were conference champions, led by a true freshman quarterback. Let's take a look at the recruiting classes that made up his teams. Rankings are from Rivals.com.

2002 (Seniors during Kelly's 6-5 2005 season):

National Ranking: 96 (no recruits rated three stars or higher)
Conference Ranking: 6

2003 (Seniors during Kelly's 9-4 MAC championship run in 2006):

National Ranking: #105 (two recruits rated three stars or higher)
Conference Ranking: #10

2004 (Juniors during 2006 season):

National Ranking: #109 (no recruits rated three stars or higher)
Conference Ranking: #12

2005 (Sophomores during 2006 season):

National Ranking: #94 (one recruit rated three stars or higher)
Conference Ranking: #6

2006 (Freshmen during 2006 season):

National Ranking: #107 (no recruit recruits rated three stars or higher)
Conference Ranking: #11

The junior and senior classes at Central Michigan during the 2006 season had an average ranking of NINTH in the Mid-American Conference. Yet they lost all but conference game (three OOC losses to Michigan, Kentucky and Boston College). Great work by Kelly. But that's nothing.


Cincinatti Bearcats, 2006-2009 recruiting rankings:

2006 (Seniors on 2009 12-1 team):

National Ranking: #108 (one three-star recruit)
Conference Ranking: #8 (DEAD LAST)

2007 (Juniors on 2009 team):

National Ranking: #94 (six three-stars)
Conference Ranking: #8 (Again, dead last)

2008 (Sophomores on 2009 team):

National Ranking: #67 (six three-stars)
Conference Ranking: #7

2009 (Freshmen on 2009 team):

National Ranking: #60 (two four-stars, eight three-stars)
Conference Ranking: #5

That's right. There were seven three-stars COMBINED in Kelly's junior and senior classes. Seven! And despite all of that, they won the Big East title and went undefeated in the regular season!


Now, finally, Notre Dame's rankings:

2007 (Seniors): #8
2008 (Juniors): #2
2009 (Sophomores): #21
2010 (Freshmen): #14

Five-star recruits: 5
Four-star recruits: 47

Notre Dame has 50 more four-star or five-star recruits (according to Rivals.com) than Cincinatti had on their 12-1, BCS-bowling 2009 football team.

Get excited for Kelly.

sjmvsfscs08;456782 wrote:Rankings from Rivals.com

Week by week:

#79 Marshall.............................................#62 Purdue
#16 Miami (Fl.).........................................#41 Michigan
#73 Ohio.................................................#47 Michigan State
#117 Eastern Michigan................................#33 Stanford
#84 Illinois..................................................#35 Boston College
#97 Indiana.................................................#14 Pittsburgh
#11 Wisconsin.............................................#87 Western Michigan
#62 Purdue................................................#23 Navy
#76 Minnesota............................................#55 Tulsa
#19 Penn State...................................#26 Utah
#8 Iowa.....................................................#95 Army
#41 Michigan...........................................#12 Southern Cal

But let's stack them up against comparable teams. If they're within ten places I'll call it a push; within five and I'll italicize and and agree maybe one is slightly better than the other.

#117 Eastern Michigan............#95 Army
#97 Indiana............................#87 Western Michigan
#84 Illinois...............................#62 Purdue
#79 Marshall............................#55 Tulsa
#76 Minnesota.........................#47 Michigan State
#73 Ohio.................................#41 Michigan
#62 Purdue..............................#35 Boston College
#41 Michigan...........................#33 Stanford
#19 Penn State........................#26 Utah
#16 Miami (Fl.)........................#23 Navy
#11 Wisconsin.........................#14 Pittsburgh
#8 Iowa..................................#12 Southern Cal

I can make a valid argument Notre Dame's schedule is better, go ahead and make one that Ohio State's is better.

sjmvsfscs08;456762 wrote: Dude seriously go fuck yourself if all you have to bring to the table is that weak response. That's what is laughable.

sjmvsfscs08;456762 wrote:You're right! What was I thinking?! Notre Dame sucks! Ohio State is the best!

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GO BUCKEYES!!

Dude seriously go fuck yourself if all you have to bring to the table is that weak response. That's what is laughable.

sjmvsfscs08;456789 wrote:hahah I am (that is, what I'm not dealing with the Buckeye Blowhards on this site). Look what I walked out of the Schottenstein Center yesterday with:

The (Notre Dame) schedule is more manageable this year — and it’s still tougher than what any Big Ten school plays.