Lessons Learned From B1G Expansion

I know there's one person in Maryland who isn't happy about this:

Also it sucks that by the time I'll get older, winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl will be a thing of the past

$$$$$$

Beat Ohio!

Wow...what a dumb thing to say.  Of course you live in the NYC area and have that bias that The coasts are the only important areas.  

The most meaningful measure of academics for the purpose of the CIC is research dollars generated. The Big Ten is far and away the best conference for research academics, and it's not close (this includes the Ivy League).

Check out this diary I did on the subject last year. I think it brings the point home nicely.

Also, you're not very informed about the undergraduate and graduate prestige of a lot of the Big Ten programs. IU Jacobs, Kelley and SPEA are all considered elite schools in their respective areas of study, not to mention a lot of other fields at a lot of other schools that are apparently worthless because you think so.

With regard to #3 I definitely think the Big Ten is still a top academic conference. Granted, aside from Michigan and Northwestern it isnt fantastic compared to all schools nationally, but compared to ATHLETIC conferences that are major players (so the Ivy League for instance doesnt count) honestly the ACC/Pac-12/Big Ten are light years ahead of the 4th best conference in terms of academics.

I am looking forward to the economies of scale and the Big Ten Network eventually competing with ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

Shows like the "S Factor" where walk-ons compete for scholarships.

Or "Survivor: Columbus"

Or "Desperate Sideline Reporters"

the possibilites!

#6.  There are always unintended consequences.  This will screw up something, despite the most earnest and well-intended benefits to the Conference.

The Big Ten is not a mediocre academic conference. We're not far and away the best like some think, but when expanding, we are going after large flagship universities, and it helps if the schools don't have much competition within their own state. Nebraska is a great football program, but Maryland and Rutgers, as academic institutions, are large and have no peers within their state. There is upside with these schools if they do benefit financially from this deal and are able to grow academically and athletically. 

...at least by some standards. That said, I don't want them in the conference. 

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public

If the cities of Abu Dhabi or Doha had an Athletic Department, we would add them.

CFB is going to be nothing more than minor league football in a few years.

I currently work as a researcher at the Univ. of Wisconsin.   It brings in gobs of research $$$ and has a great reputation as a public university.   There are a lot of fantastic research institutions in the B1G.    ACC + B1G + PAC, to me, are the best academic + athletics conferences.

the academic argument is just false

Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan all are elite engineering schools, with NW and Maryland! not far behind

Michigan and NW are elite medical schools, with Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio State, Indiana, and Iowa all top 50

Michigan and NW are elite law schools, with Minn top 25 with Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, and Wisconsin top 50

NW and Michigan are elite business schools, with Indiana near that status, and the usual big ten members (above) also top 50ish

This is all not even including CIC member university of Chicago, which is elite in all these categories but engineering. 

Wisconsin, Penn State are much better overall.  OSU probably is as well (so is Maryland).

Indiana has a good business school and pretty decent humanities.  

Seriously!! WTF!  You chose Indiana as an upper tier BIG school?  Umm, you don't think that Wisconsin, who generates nearly 6.5 billion(that's billion with a b) in research dollars annually, isn't an academic powerhouse?  Purdue doesn't have an elite engineering school?  Nor does Illinois, who apparently doesn't do NASA level research on their campus? 

Indiana in my mind is not that great.  Good Med school, ed and b-schools, not even close to UW, NW, UofM, etc.  

If your name indicates you went to law school, ask for a refund, and change careers.  Horrible argument.  

This expansion is terrible.  Has nothing to do with ND.  ND screwed themselves, and will get theirs.  They will be grasping for straws soon enough.  

I want to become an independent.  How is Brandon going to spin this when there is so much outrage.  As an Alum, I hope that smarter people start making good choices, and kill this deal right quick.  Prezi's still need to vote, as well as AD's.  Kill it Brandon!  The only people who are for this are east coasters, who selfishly want to destory a great conference for the sake of driving to College Park, MD and Piscatoway, NJ once a decade.  Good Luck with that one!  You already have the BIG network.  BIG looks desparate and pathetic.  So pissed off...