If you agree that Oregon will be a more "talented" team, then you can't also agree that "stars don't matter". One common theme I've seen in this thread is that NDSU is as talented as a vast majority of teams in the Pac-12. [They're NOT, at least if you consider players on NFL rosters a measure of talent]. The other is that NDSU is simply a more disciplined, well-coached unit that just "wants it more". The subtext of that line of thinking is that somehow Oregon is not similarly prepared/disciplined/coached up. There are certainly FBS teams that play un-disciplined, are poorly prepared and don't have quality leadership. That has even been true of Oregon teams once or twice in my 30 years following them. But it's not true of the two teams that have been led by the current coaching staff and it's not likely to be true this year. No team is immune to mistakes or poor play, but that applies every bit as much to the underdog as to the favorite. To suggest otherwise is wishful thinking.
Yeah, I’m not a big fan of the star system myself but 4/5 stars do statistically get drafted at a way higher rate than 3 stars. On individual cases there are some great 3 star/no star kids who turn into great players and have great NFL careers. Basically more 4-5 stars is better. On a macro level it’s statistically proven that teams with more 4-5 star players are better than teams with less. Micro, I don’t care much for it because I don’t think most of the guys making ratings know their head from their ass when it comes to evaluating and projecting talent.
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