This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

recruiting at #14 is near the bottom for ND. by MrE

There are approx. 17 other programs that are in ND's peer group; ND should never, ever drop below a #18 ranked class.

As others have pointed out, the gulf between the haves and the have-nots continues, and may be widening.

ND is on the right side of the gulf in terms of being in that tier of 18, but needs to push its way into the cartel at the very top.

Red flags abound when these programs drop below the top ~18 (like USC's disaster of a class last season), or consistently finish in the 12-18 range.