So where do you place the Solecismic 8?

[kserra]

I just booted TCY back up after a few years...

I'm starting a career as the head of the Indiana Hoosiers...bad team, decent academics, tough league...seems like an OK challenge to begin with...

I placed the Solecismic 8 in California, thinking that that state had the most talent (maybe Florida or Texas) and it would be fine...

Well, in recruiting, I'm noticing a HUGE number of recruits coming from California...this makes it tough because it's expensive to go visit possible recruits...

So, where have you guys placed this "extra" league?

Are more recruits produced for that state (area)? I can't believe the number of recruits from California, so I just assumed it was because of the addition of the Solecismic 8...

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Go Lions!

Kevin

[QuikSand]

Are more recruits produced for that state?

Yes.

[Passacaglia]

Also, there are always tons of recruits in California. The number of recruits in a state is based on the number of high schools, which is (roughly) based on population. When I notice that I'm after a guy who's not in the Top 100 in his state, he's always from California.

[Passacaglia]

California might be a good choice for the S8, because there are already a ton of recruits there anyway, so adding more won't mean much. Some people like to put them out of the way, in Hawaii or Alaska, in hopes they just stay out of the way. If you do a search, you'll find a way to make them into the Ivy League by putting them in New York, or other various small conferences. Personally, I put them in my home state, Michigan, so that I recognize more of the high schools that players come from.

[kserra]

California might be a good choice for the S8, because there are already a ton of recruits there anyway, so adding more won't mean much. Some people like to put them out of the way, in Hawaii or Alaska, in hopes they just stay out of the way. If you do a search, you'll find a way to make them into the Ivy League by putting them in New York, or other various small conferences. Personally, I put them in my home state, Michigan, so that I recognize more of the high schools that players come from.

Hey, I grew up in Novi...so I used to always place the league in Michigan...

But I wanted to start a Big 10 career, and even MSU was too decent of a school to start with...so I picked Indiana--the killer of coaches (Cam Cameron anyone?)

Will I get the best results from placing the league in Alaska or in recreating the Ivy League? Again, I haven't played in a while, but I want to optimize my experience so I can decide if I want to invest a large amount of time in the game...

Thanks again for your feedback...

Kevin

[Passacaglia]

My thinking is that it's almost impossible to keep them 'out of the way' -- you just have to do what you can to make it livable, since there will always be one team that creeps its way into the Top 25. In some previous installation, I had the GLIAC in Michigan, with Grand Valley State and the like. I've also done the Ivy as well.

I seem to recall that someone did a bit of legwork and found that per capita, Mississippi had the most schools per student, so they would be the hardest place to play, if you were coaching in the S8. But that's unrelated.

[nilodor]

I think placing the Sol 8 in the southeastern part of the country is the best. ie Alabama, South Carolina because this is where alot of the bigger schools are and it will make them better by having a larger recruiting base to draw from. Also the recruits won't be too close to you to help you out a whole lot.

[Ben E Lou]

Hey, I grew up in Novi...so I used to always place the league in Michigan...

But I wanted to start a Big 10 career, and even MSU was too decent of a school to start with...so I picked Indiana--the killer of coaches (Cam Cameron anyone?)

Will I get the best results from placing the league in Alaska or in recreating the Ivy League? Again, I haven't played in a while, but I want to optimize my experience so I can decide if I want to invest a large amount of time in the game...

Thanks again for your feedback...

KevinThere are basically four schools of thought:

1. Put it in Hawaii or Alaska, to get it out of the way. I ran a career for 50+ years with the SC8 in Hawaii, and none of the SC8 teams rose to anything resembling prominence. I've only done it once, so I can't say for sure it will keep 'em down and out, but at least there's SOME evidence that it can.

2. Put it in your home state, to get more recruits from high schools with which you are familiar. This is how I normally do it. I've controlled schools from other parts of the country, but it adds a layer of coolness to see more players from schools that I can visually picture in my mind from having been there and/or played there myself. The potential downside (to some) of this is that inevitably one of the SC8 schools rises to national prominence. In my current career, Albany, GA has become a perennial Top 15 team. I don't mind this myself, but it bugs some people.

3. Create your lower-level league of choice. Various people have done this. I've never done it, so I can't comment on how it works or doesn't work.

4. Put it in the same state with your team to give yourself more recruits. I've done this, but haven't seen any improvement in recruiting. My understanding is that the state with the SC8 gets more recruits, but NOT more talented recruits. Lots of extra SC8-caliber guys seem to show up, and inevitably what ends up happening is that a few of the talented players who are Dist or Dist* get stolen away by one of those 8 fictional schools in your home state.

As for your original question about California, there are tons more recruits from there regardless of where you put the SC8. In my current career, I'm playing Kentucky. The SC8 is in Georgia. I set aside 2 weeks early in every season (usually 3 and 5) just to visit California players without any additional SC8 players being from there. I usually make one visit to Colorado (assuming there's a player there worth looking at) during those weeks first, because it is the closest SW state, then I jump to California for the rest of that week's visits.