Is ESPN’s lower ranking for OSU recruits compared to composite rankings a mere coincidence, such as being the skewed result of a small sample size?
Or do you have an alternative explanation for it?
This trend has been observed and/or alleged for years, and many OSU fans smell a clear conference bias at work (or money) per ESPN’s investment in the SEC.
The question here is whether or not this is a valid critique? If not, how do you account for the discrepancy between ESPN’s rankings vs composite ratings from 247Sports?
For your reference, below are ESPN’s rankings for OSU commits and unsigned targets, which shows ESPN is twice as likely to rank an OSU signee lower than the composite:
OSU COMMITMENT RANKINGS: ESPN # vs 247Sports Composite ( )
1) = Fleming #4 (4)
2) - Paris Johnson #16 (8)
3) + Wypler #29 (60)
4) - Phillips #91 (50)
5) - Cooper #106 (66)
6) - Njigba #122 (94)
7) + Cody Simon #132 (144)
8) - Ransom #156 (81)
9) - Gee Scott #200 (74)
10) - *Kourt Williams #244 (172)
11) + Cavazos #252 (487)
12) + Toutant #281 (380)
13) - Miller #285 (70)
* Williams signed after the rankings, but was a 1005 crystal ball.
SUMMARY: ESPN rates 8 Buckeye commits lower ( - ) than 247’s composite score and only 4 higher ( + ), while one is equal (i.e., Fleming). In short, ESPN is twice as likely to rate an OSU recruit lower than 247’s composite.
OSU TARGET RANKINGS: ESPN # vs 247Sports Composite ( )
1) + Zach Evans #1 (6)
2) + Desmond Evans #3 (17)
3) - Ringo #12 (9)
4) - Bijan #31 (22)
5) - Milton #38 (21)
6) - Ricks #41 (16)
7) + Knighton #84 (105)
8) + Gray #96 (199)
9) + Jocolbe Cowan #127 (151)
10) - Jalen Berger #15 (58)
11) + Darvon Hubbard #155 (292)
12) - Darrion Henry #169 (119)
13) + Makari Paige #232 (237)
14) - Bingley-Jones #234 (171)
15) + Deamonte Trayanum #286 (304)
16) - Michael Drennen #Unranked-(206)
SUMMARY: ESPN rates exactly half of OSU's unsigned targets higher than 247's composite score and exactly half of them lower. All things being equal, that’s exactly what you’d expect, unlike rankings for OSU commits.
