Big 10 Report: Conference Realignment

[Mr. Laz]

A source in St. Louis familiar with the situation told NewsCenter 16 Thursday afternoon that Missouri will leave the Big XII and soon join the Big 10. Other schools expected to follow the Tigers are Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers and Nebraska.

Many have speculated that such an expansion would include Notre Dame but ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick told me today that the Irish prefer to stay independent in football and in the Big East for other sports. Swarbrick said maintaining football Independence is such a part of what Notre Dame is.

He went on to say the Big East is a great partner for the University in other sports.

"We do have to monitor what is going on," Swarbrick said. "There will be significant shifts. "Hopefully we can navigate them by keeping our football independent and keeping our Big East affiliation because that is what we care about."

The move of Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers to the Big Ten from the Big East could categorically change the landscape of the Big East itself. Thus, what Swarbrick is referring to when stating the University must continue to monitor what is going on.

The interview with Swarbrick was done before the late afternoon announcement.

http://www.wndu.com/sports/headlines/92447574.html

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Stewie

It cracks me up that somehow athletic affiliation has ANYTHING to do with academics. "The Big 10 is better academically than XYZ"... bullshit. Most of the Big 10 schools are huge, hence, they have the resources to get grants ad nauseum. Northwestern actually has really strict guidelines for admittance, the rest not so much. I know, I know, Ohio State has the 60,000 smartest students known to man.

Yea, Michigan...what a chump in academics.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

That's possible, but it's more likely that they go independent. Imagine the size of the television contract alone. It would dwarf anything the SEC could ever dream of.

If Texas wanted to join a conference, they would probably just join the Big 10. They have the most money, and Texas has an open invitation just like ND.

I have a difficult time believing UT would ever get a contract like that. Texas may have some nation wide appeal. But ND's appeal is that it's a Catholic university and every catholic somehow feels they are a natural alum.

They'll go to the PAC. Or maybe UT and ND can form their own two man show. Play each other 11 times a year in football.

Oh, and for the person who mentioned in passing that there may be a law that doesn't allow KU/KSU to be broken into different conferences: Incorrect. No law like that exists.

Either way, just wave at us KSU folks when we pass into the newest conference: The Big Oblivion

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Yes, in hindsight a Duck/Canes matchup may have been better, but you don't know how that would've played out. That Miami team was loaded, they might have went right through Oregon as well. Nebraska obviously had an edge somewhere in the formula over Oregon, it wasn't a popularity contest like the Big XII uses to slot their bowls.

No, it was East Coast bias. Which is perfectly fine with me. **** the Ducks.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Yea, Michigan...what a chump in academics.

Oh, sorry! They have the smartest 40+K of students... the rest go to Ohio State. Do you really believe that a public school has anything over the private big-money schools that can pick and choose students?

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Stewie

It cracks me up that somehow athletic affiliation has ANYTHING to do with academics. "The Big 10 is better academically than XYZ"... bullshit. Most of the Big 10 schools are huge, hence, they have the resources to get grants ad nauseum. Northwestern actually has really strict guidelines for admittance, the rest not so much. I know, I know, Ohio State has the 60,000 smartest students known to man.

Originally Posted by Stewie

Oh, sorry! They have the smartest 40+K of students... the rest go to Ohio State. Do you really believe that a public school has anything over the private big-money schools that can pick and choose students?

By academics, what is typically meant is the kind and quality of research being done by graduate programs, not how good the gen-ed classes are for for the thousands upon thousands of undergrads.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

By academics, what is typically meant is the kind and quality of research being done by [mostly] graduate programs, not how good the gen-ed classes are for for the thousands upon thousands of undergrads.

My point exactly. And this has to do with an athletic affiliation how? Publish or perish. It's a huge ****ing game.

[|Zach|]

Aside from all of that...

With more than 70% of UM's 200 major programs, departments, and schools ranked in the top 10 in the United States, UM's academic reputation has led to its inclusion on Richard Moll's list of Public Ivies.[66] The university routinely has led in the number of Fulbright Scholars in the late 1990s and 2000s, and has also matriculated 26 Rhodes Scholars.

That is pretty ****ing impressive.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Stewie

My point exactly. And this has to do with an athletic affiliation how? Publish or perish. It's a huge ****ing game.

Because conference alignment doesn't only have to do with athletics?

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

I think you are looking at the wrong metrics here.

OK, tell me the metrics. I'm pretty sure the local community college teaches the theory of relativity. There are no big hidden secrets out there... although it appears the Big 10 knows something we don't.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Because conference alignment doesn't only have to do with athletics?

OK. They want Mizzou because they excel in what?

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Stewie

OK. They want Mizzou because they excel in what?

At this point you are just sounding like a butthurt Kansas fan.

[|Zach|]

Missouri does fine for itself...good in research top notch J School.

"MU is one of only six public universities that houses a law school, medical school, and a veterinary medicine school all on the same campus. In Missouri, MU is the designated land-grant university (along with Lincoln University), the largest public research institution, and the only university that is both a member of the Association of American Universities and designated as a "Doctoral/Research Extensive" university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Only 34 universities in the nation have both such designations. The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center is located in the MU Research Park and is the largest university research reactor in the U.S."

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

At this point you are just sounding like a butthurt Kansas fan.

I'm not. I thought you had something substantial to add. I thought the NCAA was the National Collegiate Athletic Association. If the first "A" were "academic" it would matter. I suppose MU moving to the Big 10 makes all the undergrads smarter by association.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Stewie

I'm not. I thought you had something substantial to add. I thought the NCAA was the National Collegiate Athletic Association. If the first "A" were "academic" it would matter. I suppose MU moving to the Big 10 makes all the undergrads smarter by association.

So you are going to knock someone for not bringing anything substantial and then end your post with that?

You can sit here and set up straw men all you want. Nobody is saying this is a magic pill. But Missouri has decent academic chops and schools that don't are not part of the equation. The Big 10 has a reputation for academics. Even if you think it came from thin air, reputations come about for a reason.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Missouri does fine for itself...good in research top notch J School.

"MU is one of only six public universities that houses a law school, medical school, and a veterinary medicine school all on the same campus. In Missouri, MU is the designated land-grant university (along with Lincoln University), the largest public research institution, and the only university that is both a member of the Association of American Universities and designated as a "Doctoral/Research Extensive" university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Only 34 universities in the nation have both such designations. The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center is located in the MU Research Park and is the largest university research reactor in the U.S."

Who cares? Kansas has two universities that divide the curriculums. Just because the state of Missouri decided to pile everything into one campus isn't a sign of anything.