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2025 Early Hodge talk

Pyle's who gets a vote, had already listed Mitchell way down his list a week or two ago. Pretty disappointing to even relay his flawed throught process and biases so early in the season. He has basically already anointed Gable, then he had Carter next. Mitchell could bonus his way from start to finish, but is deemed unworthy due to a lack of competition. Gable and Carter will both have to beat a national champion to get there, and Pyle's thinks 165 is just plain weak, so no chance for Mitchell regardless of total domination unless everyone above him loses.
 
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Pyle's who gets a vote, had already listed Mitchell way down his list a week or two ago. Pretty disappointing to even relay his flawed throught process and biases so early in the season. He has basically already anointed Gable, then he had Carter next. Mitchell could bonus his way from start to finish, but is deemed unworthy due to a lack of competition. Gable and Carter will both have to beat a national champion to get there, and Pyle's thinks 165 is just plain weak, so no chance for Mitchell regardless of total domination unless everyone above him loses.


Can't he even maintain the appearance of neutrality?

Now I lay me down to sleep.
Pray the Lord Gable Beat
If He be unscathed
at NCAA's
Let him taste defeat
That would be sweet
May I beg of you
The winner be clad in blue.
 
Picture this, Hamiti beats O'Toole at Big 12's and then beats Haines or O'Toole for the natty with an undefeated record. Would he be in the mix?
 
If we get a close to healthy Carter, I think it's lights out in the Hodge race.

I would think so - not just the first 5X Champ ever, but he will also have to beat a former NCAA Champ, 2X Finalist and 4X AA (all 3rd Place or higher... 3rd, 3rd, 2nd and last year NCAA Champion) to do it.... The combination of those two things makes Carter a near lead-pipe cinch to win The Hodge Trophy if he does win a 5th Crown.
 
I would think so - not just the first 5X Champ ever, but he will also have to beat a former NCAA Champ, 2X Finalist and 4X AA (all 3rd Place or higher... 3rd, 3rd, 2nd and last year NCAA Champion) to do it.... The combination of those two things makes Carter a near lead-pipe cinch to win The Hodge Trophy if he does win a 5th Crown.
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it
 
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I would think so - not just the first 5X Champ ever, but he will also have to beat a former NCAA Champ, 2X Finalist and 4X AA (all 3rd Place or higher... 3rd, 3rd, 2nd and last year NCAA Champion) to do it.... The combination of those two things makes Carter a near lead-pipe cinch to win The Hodge Trophy if he does win a 5th Crown.
I agree but, not according to Pyle's who gets a vote :-(.
 
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it
Which, to bring up a grudge I just love to cling to, means they should give Ringer’s to Zain already!
 
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it
This is what a Hodge resume looks like:

6WeFTtz.jpeg

If he TF's his way through the B1Gs and Nationals (which isn't out of the realm of possibility since he's already TF'd the #2 at the weight...), there's no way he doesn't get it. I get the competition isn't great at 165, but that's also in large part due to him. The two top outside contenders moved up (probably in no small part to get away from him), his best competition is in the room wrestling 174 for PSU, and two teams refused to even put a guy out against him.
 
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This is what a Hodge resume looks like:

6WeFTtz.jpeg

If he TF's his way through the B1Gs and Nationals (which isn't out of the realm of possibility since he's already TF'd the #2 at the weight...), there's no way he doesn't get it. I get the competition isn't great at 165, but that's also in large part due to him. The two top outside contenders moved up (probably in no small part to get away from him), his best competition is in the room wrestling 174 for PSU, and two teams refused to even put a guy out against him.
If Carter wins 5 and beats a returning champ in Keck and Gable wins and beats a returning champ in kerk Mitchell won't win it. The composition of the weight will hurt him. 3 guys who AA at 165 last year return besides Mitchell and they were 4th, 6th and 7th. I have talked with a few who have votes and Mitchell is #3 on most people's list currently
 
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it
well I say if MM bonus' everyone he should get it...regardless
 
What are the chances we get another "tie" in Hodge voting and it gets split between Carter and Gable?
 
If Carter wins 5 and beats a returning champ in Keck and Gable wins and beats a returning champ in kerk Mitchell won't win it. The composition of the weight will hurt him. 3 guys who AA at 165 last year return besides Mitchell and they were 4th, 6th and 7th. I have talked with a few who have votes and Mitchell is #3 on most people's list currently
Screw the Hodge. Mitchell will win the Most Dominant Wrestler award, which is based on STATS.
 
What are the chances we get another "tie" in Hodge voting and it gets split between Carter and Gable?
Fair question. And fair use of quotation marks.

Form 2013 to 2024 the vote totals were part of the press release every year...except for 2021. And they did use the term virtual tie.

Perhaps that was a reaction to the 2019 situation with Nickal and Nolf being so close, but only one of them getting the trophy (though Parris' win over Starocci in 2023 was closer).

My sense is that it was a one-off situation and will not be repeated.
 
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it

Huh? He would be beating a 4X AA (3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 1st), 2X Finalist, and Defending 184 lbs NCAA Champion THIS YEAR! Starocci would be the first 5X Champion ever THIS YEAR, so it is absolutely relevant. As far as other years not mattering..., that's nonsense as Kyle Dake won a Hodge because he was the first 4-Timer to win every Championship at a different weight - he absolutely WAS NOT the most dominant wrestler the year he won his Hodge.
 
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it
It is a career award if the voters decide it is a career award.

The way the award has been decided over the years has change pretty dramatically. Back when it was a small Hodge committee making the decision it was fair to say the criteria was all important because the committee agreed they were all important.

Now that it is a vote of a growing number of people the criteria should be thought of as how the finalists are determined rather than what the voters will consider when voting. So, just because "previous credentials" was demoted to a secondary criteria in 2018, and removed in 2022, it does not mean the voters will adhere to that when voting.
 
The only issue is it's not a career award. Its based on this year . And the voters really look at this years and the criteria. Over the years the voters have become way more analytical than they should be. I say if Carter wins 5 he should win it regardless of what Gable does. But that's not how the voters look at it
What's going against Carter is the team he wrestles for. I know there are people who will vote against him based on
True but if Keck beats Starocci and Kerk or Hendrickson beat Gable, who gets it?
I'm betting Kerk or they share. Carter has looked great this year but gable has look other worldly
 
It is a career award if the voters decide it is a career award.

The way the award has been decided over the years has change pretty dramatically. Back when it was a small Hodge committee making the decision it was fair to say the criteria was all important because the committee agreed they were all important.

Now that it is a vote of a growing number of people the criteria should be thought of as how the finalists are determined rather than what the voters will consider when voting. So, just because "previous credentials" was demoted to a secondary criteria in 2018, and removed in 2022, it does not mean the voters will adhere to that when voting.
The way many voters look at it is they just follow the criteria. Willie even said on a show with Basch that the voters are way more analytical than in the past and they nerd out over the criteria and vote that way
 
Huh? He would be beating a 4X AA (3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 1st), 2X Finalist, and Defending 184 lbs NCAA Champion THIS YEAR! Starocci would be the first 5X Champion ever THIS YEAR, so it is absolutely relevant. As far as other years not mattering..., that's nonsense as Kyle Dake won a Hodge because he was the first 4-Timer to win every Championship at a different weight - he absolutely WAS NOT the most dominant wrestler the year he won his Hodge.
If Gable wins out and has a higher bonus % the voters will probably go Gable. I don't agree if Carter wins 5 he should get it is my opinion.

Dake had 18 pins in 37 matches that year and Ruth was 2nd in the Hodge. So saying Dake won just because he won 4 isn't actually true . He was also the most dominant that year. Previous results was also a criteria when Dake won. And it's not now
 
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If Gable wins out and has a higher bonus % the voters will probably go Gable. I don't agree if Carter wins 5 he should get it is my opinion.

Dake had 18 pins in 37 matches that year and Ruth was 2nd in the Hodge. So saying Dake won just because he won 4 isn't actually true . He was also the most dominant that year. Previous results was also a criteria when Dake won. And it's not now
Gable wrestled only 11 regular season matches, more than a third less than CStar (18) and MM (19). He got a lot more 'rest.'
 
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