In 247's *job* rankings, they have Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa

Posted on: February 26, 2017 at 14:10:36 CT

as:
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24. Arkansas
...
33. Iowa
...
45. Missouri
...

That seems crazy, as if they're ranking head coaches not jobs, or just basing it mostly off recent recruiting class rankings (which is largely based on your head coach as well). You'd think that out of those 3 schools, the most potential would be at Missouri, as it has the best recruiting territory (out of the 3) and doesn't play in a buzzsaw like the SEC West (like Arkansas). There's no way Iowa and Arkansas are both better *jobs* than Missouri, as in easier places to win, if you're using the same criteria.

The "reasoning" they provide is as follows:

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24. Arkansas
Industry sources indicate that Arkansas has fantastic drive and desire, but it also has a ceiling that is not easily defined - especially while Nick Saban is at Alabama. Not that that makes Arkansas any different from a number of SEC West schools trying to cut into the gap that Bama has created.

"(Bobby) Petrino was close," one SEC coach told us in recent months. "Over a beer, we've sometimes wondered (as coaches) what he would have done if not for that motorcycle ..."

Perhaps the answer is Arkansas' ceiling is similar to Ole Miss' under Hugh Freeze: Yeah, it has beaten Alabama (though Arkansas hasn't done that since 2006) — but it hasn't been able to truly break through on a national scale.

Credit the Razorbacks' hustle in terms of facilities and salaries, but the expectation level is also quite high. That's a tough standard for a hypothetical incoming staff.


33. Iowa
Longtime coach Kirk Ferentz has said that he thinks Iowa is college football's version of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He means it in terms of administrative consistency — and the color scheme — but at some point the comparison falls flat. Ferentz doesn't have a collection of national championships, and Iowa City is quite isolated.

Iowa is and will always be a program reliant on player development, even if a $55 million football complex has made the school more attractive to recruits.

Fair expectation is likely what Iowa most has in its favor. Even when Ferentz has wobbled, the school has remained patient, and then rewarded him with long-term extensions. A number of coaches would sign up for that arrangement.


45. Missouri
Recent history is what Mizzou has most going for it, but the shine of consecutive SEC East titles (2013, 2014) is beginning to fade. Some coaches see the program starting to sink toward the rear of the league.

"It feels to me like that was mostly Gary Pinkel's doing, the program that he had built in the Big 12," one SEC coach told us. "I'm not sure what to make of (Missouri) in the future."

Barry Odom, or any staff walking in the door, has his work cut out to compete in recruiting with the traditional powers. Odom's staffs have finished next to last in the SEC the past two classes. That does not provide a rosy picture of what's to come, unless the staff proves to be outstanding in development.

Add to that a toxic, university-wide culture that led the previous AD, Mack Rhoades, to decide that Baylor (!) would be a better place to work.
[...]
[Our] sources perceive that Mizzou will continue to slip as it struggles to keep up in recruiting. It was ahead of only Vanderbilt in the SEC for the second consecutive year. Add to that a recent university leadership debacle that is only starting to calm.

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Their criteria is all over the map and applied inconsistently. It almost feels like the author is an Arkansas fan. My favorite line was: "Industry sources indicate that Arkansas has fantastic drive and desire..." Who are these "industry sources" who all shared that same observation/opinion with 247?

Absurd.





Edited by zounami at 14:36:50 on 02/26/17