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I got something wrong in today's paper, and I hate it.

A reader named Kevin Collins pointed out that North Carolina got no five-star recruits this season, and he's right. I had written the Tar Heels landed four five-star recruits according to Rivals.com when they actually got four four-star recruits.

I've thought about it, and my real mistake was using the star system in the first place. The truth is, there is no bigger craps-shoot in the sports world than college football recruiting. The star-rating system is a sham. Period.

Need proof? Look at Boise State: Since 2002, the Broncos have signed no five-star recruits and only one four-star recruit. All they do is win. Say what you want about their conference, but when's the last time Boise State lost a game it was supposed to win?

Need more proof? Look at Wake Forest: Since 2002, the Demon Deacons have signed no five-star guys and only two four-star guys. Wake has 20 alums in the NFL right now, and none of them was more than a three-star guy coming out of high school. Aaron Curry, the linebacker picked fourth overall in the 2009 NFL draft, was a two-star guy. Riley Skinner? No stars (Same class as Texas' Colt McCoy, by the way, who only had three stars).

Sometimes, the recruiting "experts" get it right. After all, in 2006 Tim Tebow was a five-star guy and the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation.

Then again, in 2005 the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation was five-star guy named Ryan Perrilloux. And in 2004 the top two five-star quarterbacks were guys named Rhett Bomar and Xavier Lee.

Hmmmm. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about miscounting stars ...

-- JEFF MILLS, Staff Writer