BLOGTOBERFEST! WHO'S YOUR DADDY EDITION.

Blogtoberfest: what indeed happens when pasta meets antipasta.

--Who says recruiting isn't an exact science? We do, but trained economists object. A trio of trained dismal scientists have been predicting the school of choice for some 3,000+ D-1 recruits since 2002. The results aren't unimpressive, hanging at around seventy percent for the whole timeframe of their analysis. Matters/not matters, according to the study?

For instance, factors such as school graduation rate, number of bowl appearances, depth at the player’s position, number of players drafted by the NFL, and number of national championships were not significant.

What does matter? Winning programs that are close to home, have good physical facilities, and are in good graces with the NCAA.

After correctly notching another seventy percent this year, you know the three are gonna grab some blow, get some hookers, and just let it rip 'til the boys in blue show up at the Ramada. That's just how dismal scientists do.

Milton Friedman: once made love to a groupie with shark he caught from his hotel window.

Wanted: fight in dog, not dog in fight. The Ladanian Tomlinson meme reigns at TCU, where recruits clamoring to be the next LT come in droves despite TCU's location square in the middle of Big 12 recruiting hell. That badass Nike commercial with the guy in the baseball cap with neckflaps has to help, too.

Elton John is bellowing "The Circle Of Life" and there's nothing you can do about it.... Those who forgot the "snake eats mouse who then gets eaten by pig who gets devoured by panther" when Urban Meyer went on a commit poaching spree last week, take note: Florida loses two recruits this week, one to hated, hateful, hatrocious Florida State, the other to Miami. One, Bert Reed, is a wide receiver, a loss that will leave Florida with only 52 wide receivers on scholarship.

Fanblogs, chocked full of good recruiting coverage, also brings us a link to the story of how even at a late stage in life, Bobby Bowden took great joy in degrading and embarrassing his sons like the short two-faced blotchy satanic bastard twit hellspawn redneck cornpone shyster he is. We hope Joe Pa coaches from the inside of an iron lung if he has to, communicating with staff via eyelid twitches at the age of 248 like an Italian Mao.

If that's what it takes, we'll buy it ourselves.

Shyster, yes. Dumb, no. Bowden didn't survive on height or scruples, obviously. He's quite smart, as evidenced by his unorthodox recruiting strategy as detailed in the AJC:

A lot of schools like to lock in all 24 or 25 guys before signing day. They kind of want to know that all the hay is in the barn. We don’t like to do that. I like to leave at least eight or more spots open until signing day to give us a chance to get those special guys who decide late. We usually offer 16 guys to get those final eight.

When in doubt, sell it! SMQ has his own bit on the Schlabach article. [NAME REDACTED]'s m.o? SELL IT!!!

A dozen years before Zook, the Gators were 122-23-1 (.836), finished in the top 12 every year and won six SEC titles and one mythical title. Three years under Zook, they were 23-15 (.605), did not have a poll finish higher than 24th and won zero SEC or SEC East championships. Two years after Zook, UF is 22-4 (.846) and has won both the SEC and the mythical championship. When an individual has the guts to suggest, on the record, his successor in that situation is riding has coattails, that it was all part of his grand "blueprint," and a slow implementation of it at that, then that, friends, is evidence of an endless reserve of balls. That is confidence and optimism run absolutely amok, until it bubbles over into frothing madness. So Zook has guts, too, a huge, disgusting supply of effervescent, non-white, uptight guts - Sell it!

Yep. When in doubt, yell louder and longer.

Katie Hnida is still a girl. Gelf Magazine has an interview with Katie Hnida, who istill a girl. Gary Barnett, incidentally, is still at home and "exploring his opportunities," in case you want him to send you his resume or whatever.

Tom's on top of that. Tom Lemming says that while Notre Dame is having a good year in recruiting, they're short of defensive talent, something he says he has vowed to help Notre Dame fix over the next day or so personally. Tom Lemming, only on ESPN CSTV! For now!

Tom Lemming! Not NOT a Notre Dame shill!