You're missing the entire point because you're desperate for a narrative that excuses your own program's failures. The obsession with rankings isn't the problem, lazy evaluation is. Oklahoma State bringing in fifty transfers is a sign of pure desperation, NOT a revolutionary model. That's a coaching staff admitting they can't develop high school talent. Colorado's approach last year proved that a massive portal class leads to a thin, disjointed roster that collapses by November. Proven production in the Sun Belt doesn't automatically translate to Power Four success, and to pretend otherwise is naive. The elite programs like Georgia and Ohio State use the portal surgically to plug specific holes, not to build their entre foundation. They dominate with high school development because that's how you create sustainable culture and depth. Indiana won the title because they are an outlier with elite coaching and player development, not because recruiting rankings are meaningless. Their success proves the rule, it doesn't break it. If you can't recruit at a high level AND develop, you have no chance. The teams that win championships are still the ones stacking five-stars, because elite talent combined with elite development is an unbeatable formula. The portal is a supplement now, not a foundation. Trying to build a whole team from it is a gamble that might yield a flashy win total one year. Baylor's success came from identifying and developing under-the-radar talent within a strong culture, not from trying to import fifty new personalities every winter. The rankings still matter because they reflect a program's ability to attract the best high school players, which is the bedrock of long-term health. Your argument is just wishful thinking from fans whose teams can't win the real recruiting battles.