College Football Success: The Relationship between Recruiting and Winning

College football has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry largely through the advent of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), television markets, and new network affiliations. Big-time programs generate millions of dollars for the athletic department and for the school through various avenues. Still, for teams to be successful, they must recruit talented athletes. This study examines the relationship between recruiting and on the field success. The automatic qualifying conferences to the BCS are examined through regression analysis to determine the relationship between recruiting success and on-the-field success. Regression analysis indicates that for teams in the SEC, the Big Ten, and the Big Twelve, 63% to 80% of a team's success in their respective conference can be attributed to successful recruiting practices. The implications that these findings have on recruiting budgets and on the path to winning on the field are presented.