Get Prepared for some Tough Times

[kicker22]

Rankings only matter at the end of the year.
In 2021, PSU was ranked #4 early in the season. They finished 7-6 and not in the Top 25.
2021 Indiana was even worse. Ranked 17 when we played them in the first game, they finished 2-10, 0-9 in the B10. Last place.
2021 ISU was ranked 9 when we played them in the second game. They finished 7-6.
Not Top 25 by a long shot.
Covid 2020 Illinois finished 2-6. Wisconsin 4-3.

You consider these Top 25 wins?

My only argument with the ratings only matter at the end of the year mentality is every time you beat a ranked team during the season there is that much greater chance that that same team doesn't end up ranked.

While I agree that they are often times over rated and the polls find themselves weeding them out quite often there's also the other side of the argument that at the point in which we played them they were some of the hottest teams in the country and playing as well as anyone else despite how they ended up.

I think the rankings argument needs to come with an asterisk, because if only the end of the season rankings hold any meaning then you're only looking at half the picture. I agree with you that I don't necessarily consider those being top 25 wins, but at the same time I have a hard time saying they don't count simply because while being ranked at the time the game was played they didn't stay there.

 

[kicker22]

I hope you're wrong about that. I hope they can continue to win 8-10 games per year. Of course familiarity breeds contempt.

I have a cynical take that says Kirk neglected the offense for over a decade. Not in a malicous way but because it is a blind spot. He just didn't have high enough expectations and thus didn't press for more. I'll be he learned a lot after Lester started talking about X and Os with him.

I agree but don't know if I'd say neglected. I think the issue is with the emphasis he puts on defense and special teams and his style of offense whether neglegent or not his priorities came back to bite him in the ass in terms of recruiting, because they definitely don't match.