by Gus Griffin

(Image via HookemReport.com)

What does the weatherman, SAT scores, and high school athlete recruit ratings have in common?  As a society we place way too much emphasis on them all as reliable predictors of the future.

The best recent example of this for high school athletes would be the University of Texas.  It was in the [college football] National Title game after the 2009 season, falling to Alabama.  Its 2010 and 2011 recruitment classes were rated top five by the various rating agencies.  Scout.com rated its 2012 class as number 1.  And yet, in spite of having one of the two largest athletic budgets in the nation (Ohio State being the other), over the past five years since their title game appearance their record is 36-28.  To top that, all those 5 star recruits were so good, in the 2014 NFL draft, not one of them was picked.

These agencies are not alone in their failure.  Standard and Poors embellished stocks infected with toxic mortgages, which help contribute to the financial collapse.  Used car salesmen dump lemons from time to time.  The difference is this.  S&P is paying a $1.5 billion dollar fine for being wrong.  Used car salesmen get fired if they are found to have misrepresented a vehicle’s worth or history.

What the hell happens to these cockroaches?

Gus Griffin, for War Room Sports