Five Reasons to Be Excited for NCAA 13: #4 Scouting Gems and Busts

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigSho31

My mind is all over the place with this post so bear with me: 1. Does anyone actually believe that the ratings matter as it relates to gameplay? A WR rated at 75 is not that much different than a 90 rated guy. It matters with QBs, but honestly, I don't see the rating difference throughout each postion. 2. Does this mean that it will still take 45 min - 1 hour to recruit? Recruiting has become a real chore for me and it takes away from the game. I remember back in the day I could get a whole season done in about a day or so...now it takes forever. 3. If this does work as intended, wont it mean that we can just scout 3-4 star recruits and get a good coach instead of focusing on 5-star guys?

1. I think it remains to be seen. Over the last couple of years, we've seen ratings matter a little more with each addition to the series. But if a WR's Route Running attribute only contributes to how often he slips, or if Block Ratings don't matter, than yes, recruiting is almost senseless. It was like this for me last year, as recruiting a good OL or DL was pointless.

2. You could just use quick call if its that bothersome. If ratings really matter, I could see myself sinking a half hour or more into recruiting every week.

3. I don't think thats how it will work. Even with a great coach, progression can only be so fast. If a guy comes in at a 70, even with great coaching, he's not likely to make it past an 85 or so by his senior year. A 5 star guy with a poor coach is likely to start out at around an 80 and end up around a 90. At least, that was my experience last year.

[illwill10]

Quote: Originally Posted by BadAssHskr

this is what i'm wondering too. all be it, it's a bit confusing to me. take the posted pic, the highlighted guy has an OVR of 80. does that mean once he signs he might come in as a 60, or then again potentially come in as a 90? so you recruit as you did last year, then just wait and see? i do agree though, it makes recruiting more interesting and life like with the bust potential. God knows we've seen a ton of it at QB in Neb.

Unless you dont scout a player, you will know what his new/correct OVR is before you sign them. So if you dont scout a player, most likely he will either surprise you or disappoint you.

[cparrish]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigSho31

1. Does anyone actually believe that the ratings matter as it relates to gameplay? A WR rated at 75 is not that much different than a 90 rated guy. It matters with QBs, but honestly, I don't see the rating difference throughout each position.

This is no different than the college football you watch on TV. Eric Page amassed over 300 catches in his first three years at Toledo only to declare for the draft early and not get drafted. The kid dominated the MAC for three years but didn't have the physical abilities to be drafted by the NFL. Do not always go off the overall ratings. It is just a fictitious numerical rating the game comes up with.

Quote: Originally Posted by BigSho31

2. Does this mean that it will still take 45 min - 1 hour to recruit? Recruiting has become a real chore for me and it takes away from the game. I remember back in the day I could get a whole season done in about a day or so...now it takes forever.

Recruiting has and will always be the best part of NCAA to me. It sounds like you should just let the CPU recruit for you to make it go by faster.

[jfsolo]

The presence of these players is great, seeing the Overall before they get on your team, and having the game label them gems or busts, is not so great. During scouting you should just see the shifts in their individual ratings while the OVR remains hidden. If you see a WR's catching rating go from 75 to 55 you can make your own determination that he may end up being a bust.

So this is a solid addition, even if they're holding our hand a bit too much with its implementation.

[BigSho31]

Quote: Originally Posted by cparrish

This is no different than the college football you watch on TV. Eric Page amassed over 300 catches in his first three years at Toledo only to declare for the draft early and not get drafted. The kid dominated the MAC for three years but didn't have the physical abilities to be drafted by the NFL. Do not always go off the overall ratings. It is just a fictitious numerical rating the game comes up with. Recruiting has and will always be the best part of NCAA to me. It sounds like you should just let the CPU recruit for you to make it go by faster.

I love to recruit...the problem I've had with the game over the past couple years is not being able to pass because my offensive line sucks. Then I go and get better OL and they still don't pass block worth a crap. So if the ratings don't work, then there's really no point in recruiting. Right?

[cparrish]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

3. I don't think thats how it will work. Even with a great coach, progression can only be so fast. If a guy comes in at a 70, even with great coaching, he's not likely to make it past an 85 or so by his senior year. A 5 star guy with a poor coach is likely to start out at around an 80 and end up around a 90. At least, that was my experience last year.

You are correct. While testing my rosters last week, the four QBs I followed progressed as this.

• Mariota (Oregon) 79 to 93
• Ely (Alabama) 73 to 86
• Hirschman (Colorado) 69 to 80
• Driskel (Florida) 75 to 85

This was with coaching contracts turned off by the way.

[cparrish]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigSho31

I love to recruit...the problem I've had with the game over the past couple years is not being able to pass because my offensive line sucks. Then I go and get better OL and they still don't pass block worth a crap. So if the ratings don't work, then there's really no point in recruiting. Right?

It depends on how you are approaching your OL recruiting. Are you going soley off the players overall rating or are you digging deeper and looking at his position specific ratings? If you drop back and pass all the time, you are going to want to recruit OL with good pass blocking, pass block strength, and pass block footwork ratings. Again, do not go off their overalls. If you want to run a smash mouth pro-style offense like I do, I look at their strength, run blocking, run block strength, and run block footwork and nothing else. Many times I will recruit 2* OL over 4* OL because of their ability to do what I want them to do in my offensive system.

[illwill10]

Quote: Originally Posted by jfsolo

The presence of these players is great, seeing the Overall before they get on your team, and having the game label them gems or busts, is not so great. During scouting you should just see the shifts in their individual ratings while the OVR remains hidden. If you see a WR's catching rating go from 75 to 55 you can make your own determination that he may end up being a bust. So this is a solid addition, even if they're holding our hand a bit too much with its implementation.

I was just about to post this.

I like the implementation of gems/busts, but I rather only see the individual ratings swing up or down. As it stands right know, you pretty much know what your going to get. Just hide the OVR and show the ratings swing. For example, if a DB's coverage ratings drop we will most likely know that he is a bust.
I like that there is a chance that smaller schools can get gems and big schools have the chance of getting a bust, but I dont want to know it. I want to face up against a team like Vandy and be surprised that the 3 star QB I passed on ended up a 80+ OVR QB.