Is Rivals worth the $$?
December 21st, 2009 at 9:17 PM ^
One word no. Any good information is eventually found on here.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:20 PM ^
I agree, I was going to join a while ago, then I found this wonderful place. I think the important information is up here within a few minutes of being posted. I would save the money and just donate this site if you feel like spending the money.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:22 PM ^
I feel like this blog is so well-run and up to date that it wouldn't be worth it to buy one, because any meaningful info would almost instantly show up here anyway
December 21st, 2009 at 9:27 PM ^
I agree with you guys, but i still constantly check between here and rivals just to make sure nothings happing thats going unnoticed. Just read the headlines and you'll be fine. like the furman situation, i like to go back and forth. By the way, any news on him?
December 21st, 2009 at 9:24 PM ^
I don't have it, and I learn what I consider to be enough just through MGoBlog.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:30 PM ^
That's what I figured.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:33 PM ^
I had rivals for a year. After the subscription was done, as a poor college student, I couldnt justify spending 100$ a year on it. I lurked at mgoblog and get all the info I got on rivals, usually just a little after rivals. For some reason I still get texts from rivals for all the important info like commitments and what not, so thats pretty cool.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:58 PM ^
its funny how the furman commit was actually posted here then anywhere else. ESPN was like some 10 minutes late and rivals took about 5. take pride in being the "best damn blog in the land"
December 21st, 2009 at 9:38 PM ^
But I love it. The way I look at it - Rivals has a LOT of insiders that offer a lot of reliable stuff on recruiting and inside of the program. Most of their content is updated day by day instead of weekly like they are here on the blog. What Brian does great is interprets all that stuff into segments on the blog. He also does a lot more stuff not about recruiting where Rivals is basically ALL about recruiting. I read most of the articles that Brian puts out and don't read many on Rivals. I do however follow most of the recruiting stuff on rivals because it updates commitments and quotes almost every day. Eventually all the information gets posted here but I get bored at work and need a lot of new stuff every day to get me by lol.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:52 PM ^
Here are two examples of why it is now unnecessary to pay for recruiting news.
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/furman-blue
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/furman-commits
It was posted here the second it was posted there. I used to subscribe to both Scout and Rivals. You get the same stuff here. Plus, Tom Beaver is a gigantic douchenozzle.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:55 AM ^
Couldn't agree more.
Tom Beaver = reason not to get Scout (despite good coverage from Sam Webb)
December 21st, 2009 at 10:37 PM ^
but i'm biased
December 21st, 2009 at 10:55 PM ^
I have neither but Sam Webb at Scout is the best in the biz.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:54 PM ^
It depends on how in-depth you want to get.
If you just want to know what's going on with Michigan, then this site probably covers most of what you need. There is some premium board information that often doesn't find its way here, but the important stuff (commits, offers, etc.) always gets out, obviously.
Personally, I like to follow what's going on throughout the entire recruiting world. I like to watch the videos, check out players from local schools/areas, etc. So it's useful for me. There's obviously too much information to keep up on completely, but it's always there if I need it or if I get bored and just want to read a bunch about football and recruiting.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 AM ^
I actually like Rivals. I would recommend it. The writing is pretty good, and Josh Hembolt (sp) and Chris Balas actually seem like decent guys -- unlike Tom Beaver at Scout.
One quick rant: I used to have access to Scout and I can say without a doubt that Tom Beaver is one of the most annoying internet personages I have ever read. His writing is obscene and frankly childish. I hate how he thinks his writing is clever because he knows what a word like "tres" means. He tries to cultivate this sense of hero worship and many of the Scout subscribers/supplicants chime in with gems such as "Preach it Father Tom!" (Actually a real quote from today.)
(On the other hand, Sam Webb from appears to be pretty solid.)
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:17 AM ^
Rivals, and Jonathan Chait in particular, is great. Scout, oustide of Sam Webb, sucks. Rivals offers somethings that Mgoblog doesn't, like in-depth recruiting analysis (which is ultimately more important than the did he/didn't he up to the minute updates that you can get anywhere if you are willing to wait a little). It is also a good in that it is a legitimate main stream media source AND it gets it right. A rare creature indeed.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:43 AM ^
That's one thing I like about Rivals - they usually tend to get things right. Scout wants to get the info out NOW NOW NOW even if it's not entirely correct (Javarie Johnson is a Wolverine!!!), but Rivals checks its sources first.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:47 AM ^
It works like this...you post the good stuff from Rivals and we all award you points! Easy as forming an MGOBLOG circle jerk!!!
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:55 AM ^
Not that $8 a month is a lot but heck my gym membership only cost me 9. I don't mind waiting a week till everything leaks because its still news to me, even if received late.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:25 AM ^
Where do you get a gym membership that only costs $9? Is your "gym" a stairwell in an unused apartment building that you just run up and down for hours?
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 AM ^
I can't believe this, they charge me $11/month to run the stairs in my own apartment building. Where is this unused stairwell and who do I give my $9 to?
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:58 AM ^
If you really need a steady flow of info ASAP then by all means go for it. Otherwise the gist of any real story will show up in the mainstream media (including blogs like this) within days.
For the junkies though, pay up and enjoy.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:06 AM ^
You can't beat this place right here.
And the Make A Donation button conveniently located above the Diaries header is a good indicator that Brian should be paid for providing such coverage.
There's no monthly fee, but you certainly should make a contribution every now and again out of appreciation for the great effort.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:58 AM ^
and would add that IMO the reason to join Rivals/ Scout is to hear their rumors (like all rumors, some of which are true and some are false), and participate on their message boards - if you don't love the crowd here, which I do :)
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 AM ^
I signed up for Rivals shortly after the 2008 football season ended (roughly a year ago) and I've been very happy with the information and way it is presented. While I agree that if you just wait a little bit you can find out anything you want regarding Michigan recruits or general Michigan info, I enjoy reading about other recruits and some of the topics discussed that are not necessarily pertinent to Michigan. Basically, I enjoy reading about football.
So, for me, Rivals has been worth the investment.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:44 AM ^
Agree with everyone about scout -- but you would miss out on Saume and his 100 useless/pointless threads a day -- oldmancoyote and his embarrassing pregame speech & 100 useless/pointless posts a day -- and ripnice telling everyone how he is connected to the Ann Arbor elite and bragging about how much money he has made as a business man. (I don't think anyone believes him)
Speaking of douchebags -- don't even get me started on sonofjorel.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 AM ^
As for the Scout v. Rivals. I had Scout for about a year and decided to try Rivals for a couple of months. I ended up dropping Rivals and keeping Scout. They both have their pluses and minuses.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 AM ^
No. Just wait for free!
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:01 AM ^
the one thing i like about my rivals account is the videos of practice, player quotes, etc.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 AM ^
rivals / scout give you access to the other team (besides Michigan) premium sites as well? If so, that could be a plus if you want any inside information on other programs.
Mgoblog is great for Michigan coverage, but if you want to find out which Buckeyes sharted their pants doing squat thrusts during off-season workouts or which Spartans recently made debit card purchases at Joe's Army Navy you may find a subscription useful.
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:33 AM ^
I think you have to sign up for a specific school's Rivals network to get access to their premium message board, but I believe as a Rivals member you have access to all paywalled articles, regardless of school.
Example: I can read articles on SoonerScoop.com (Oklahoma's Rivals site) but I cannot read threads on their premium board ("The Crimson Corner").
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:36 AM ^
that Oklahoma called their brown / red hybrid color crimson. Usually I just call it ugly.
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 AM ^
My boss is a Sooner! They call their colors "Crimson and Cream".
I do like their fight song, though--it's super catchy. Boomer Sooner!
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:48 AM ^
They've pretty much gotten rid of cream for white which I must say is a huge improvement.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 PM ^
My boss just walked in (in full Sooner gear, it's his day off) to deliver Christmas presents and while me maintains his colors are crimson and cream, we both agreed that based on his outfit (warm-ups and an Oklahoma t-shirt) the true colors are crimson and white.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 PM ^
"Texas Fight" has to be my second favorite fight song, followed by Arkansas' and Penn State's.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 PM ^
I like Tennessee's! Is Penn State's the one that slows down at the end? If so, it is AWESOME!
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:30 PM ^
Yeah, that is Penn State's. Here's a link.
"Rocky Top" is another good one.
I smell a board topic...
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^
Virginia's "The Good Old Song" usually gets me pretty fired up. Since it's really "Auld Lang Syne" I feel like partying, drinking heavily, and then promising to make my life better by planning on giving up smoking and going to the gym more in the coming year when UVA scores a TD.
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:12 PM ^
Would it or would it not be OT?
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 AM ^
It's more of a maroon/red than anything else, and is easier on the eyes by far than Texas's color scheme.
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:43 AM ^
I really wish that Rivals would pro-rate or charge you based on what you were interested in viewing. I subscribe to the RSS for TheWolverine and it would be fantastic to read their articles but I could care less about scouring over The Fort. I'd pay $5/ month or so just for access to Michigan (and maybe a bonus team?) articles or something like that.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:56 PM ^
is to split it with like 8 of your friends so it each costs u a dollar a month. I use my friends account, as do all of my other friends who want to go on rivals. I also sign into that account on any computer and it seems to work fine. There are probably 100 computers logged onto his account. So if you want to split it or just borrow someone else's account, i recommend that