rundown of Michigan's riser
Expansion was inevitable and is more than football
November 19th, 2012 at 7:42 PM | 
You stated expansion was
You stated expansion was
November 19th, 2012 at 7:54 PM |
For a moment, I'll entertain
For a moment, I'll entertain
For a moment, I'll entertain the notion that academic considerations played a significant role in this move.
Now, will someone explain to me how exactly current institutions benefit from adding additional members, even one with large research budgets? Does the CIC or some other entity pool that money and share it out? I doubt that, but I'm not sure. And if that were true it would hurt schools like UM that bring in much more than the others. Don't individual researchers (read, faculty) have to propose projects and fight for funding anyway?
So how do UM, OSU, Wisconsin, etc. benefit, in terms of research or academics, from having this new association with Rutgers and Maryland? I don't think they're all sharing the wealth, but if someone knows, please fill me in. Perhaps it encourages cooperation, but there was nothing really hindering that before. When looking for collaborators, academics tend to go to their discipline, their professional associations - not to Big Ten media days.
If it's more general than that, I'll just say that prestige is not concrete, it's not something you can add up. Adding ND or Duke might conceivably add prestige that wasn't there, since those schools have a lot of cachet, but adding a merely respectable institution like Mayland can't do anything but water down the overal academic standing of the conference - as though anyone cares about the average ranking or endowment of the Big Ten institutions. Seriously, to whom and in what circustances could the academic standing of a conference matter? Students don't apply to conferences. Professors don't accept positions from conferences. And, unless I'm mistaken, research grants are not awarded to conferences - they're awarded to researchers.
Ultimately, as a fan I'm disgusted because I don't see that this adds anything of value to me (or to the players, for that matter). I hope we start paying them - that's the only legitimate use of all this extra cash.
c/o '02
November 19th, 2012 at 8:00 PM |
The CIC justifies itself
The CIC justifies itself
This strikes me as completely typical marketing pablum, but FWIW:
http://www.cic.net/Home/NewsAndPubs/Multimedia/Videos/CICVideo.aspx
November 19th, 2012 at 8:30 PM |
That is somewhat informative,
That is somewhat informative,
That is somewhat informative, though underwhelming. It sounds like most of the collective action under the aegis of the CIC is administrative and logistical - stuff that saves money and creates conveniences. That explains why Maryland, say, would want to join. But there's surely a point of dimishing returns for those already in, unless the Rutgers ilbrary system has a lot of stuff that isn't in the amassed collections of the current membership, or Maryland happens to come up with some nifty way of saving money on light bulbs.
c/o '02
November 19th, 2012 at 8:09 PM |
AAU federal funding dwarfs sports funding
AAU federal funding dwarfs sports funding
From http:www.aau.edu
"Federal academic research conducted by AAU universities totaled $18.9 billion in FY 2009, or 58% of all federal research funds provided to colleges and universities."
Doesn't hurt to have a presence near Washington D.C. ...
How about Mid-East and Mid-West as the new division names.
Sheiks vs. Steaks
"Football's not a fad." - F. Yost
November 19th, 2012 at 8:12 PM |
BTN: What a great rivalry
BTN: What a great rivalry
BTN: What a great rivalry between PSU and Maryland! PSU is 35-1-1 against Maryland. It's like saying we have a great rivalry against MAC team
In Hoke we trust...
November 19th, 2012 at 11:05 PM |
well, not really. It'd be
well, not really. It'd be
well, not really. It'd be more like saying we have a rivalry with Indiana... a school in our geographic region whom we've historically played nearly every year but always beat. Maryland was one of a number of schools like West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse that PSU used to play annually creating a sort of de facto northeastern football conference in the days before the Big East played football. And one of the complaints we keep hearing is that we'll only see Indiana once every 6 years so I guess it is kind of a big deal to us?
Maryland, PSU and Rutgers forming their own little eastern version of the historic Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin thing is fine by me. Anything that keeps the Lions from developing a serious border war with Ohio that could detract from the Game is good in my book.
When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing. -- Bo Schembechler
November 19th, 2012 at 8:13 PM |
They should rename the Big Ten
They should rename the Big Ten
I MAKE BIG
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
November 19th, 2012 at 8:17 PM |
I'm
I'm
Mostly indifferent, so long as Michigan puts a team on the field I will root for them!
HAIL.
November 19th, 2012 at 11:07 PM |
that's how I feel about
that's how I feel about
that's how I feel about Maryland... they seem like a nice enough fit that it's hard to care too much
but Buttgers, no way
When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing. -- Bo Schembechler
November 19th, 2012 at 9:08 PM |
Tell me again why UNC is such an academic jewel for the BIG?
Tell me again why UNC is such an academic jewel for the BIG?
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/17/2490476/insider-unc-tolerated-che...
(cross-posted from mgolicious)
November 19th, 2012 at 10:48 PM |
Conference realignment makes
Conference realignment makes
Conference realignment makes me a sad panda :(
November 19th, 2012 at 11:54 PM |
Aaaaaannnnndddddd both
Aaaaaannnnndddddd both
Aaaaaannnnndddddd both creampuff football programs are going to Leaders.
And Legends gets Illinois from Leaders?
So, as I see it, Legends gets one weak program. Leaders downgrades a weak into a creampuff, and gets another creampuff to boot, right?
So am I missing something or does this setup favor Ohio again?
Casey Anthony: Buckeye fan.
November 20th, 2012 at 12:36 AM |
Duke
Duke
is a joke in football. They only get bowl-eligible when they beat the rest of the sorry ACC like BC, Wake and NC State. Basketball is irrelevant to this discussion and there are not enough TVs down here to matter to the BigTen Network.
You stated expansion was inevitable and based it on nothing... The Big Ten will have a spot based on ranking whether it's 10, 11, 12, or 14 teams. If the idea is that somehow the added conference depth from Maryland and Rutgers will give the Big Ten an autobid to the giant playoff, I think that's stupid.
If we absolutely had to expand, we should have picked up Texas A&M (who I don't like, but actually adds a lot of value by virtue of being in Texas) + one other (don't really care between the alternatives). Somehow the most valuable brand in college athletics ended up taking two second-rate schools in a desperate attempt to follow the SEC and ACC. This is only good for people who hate college sports (and Rutgers and Maryland fans, who I assume probably do).