(08-01-2015 10:37 AM)SeaBlue Wrote:  Just read this for the second time. It's really powerful stuff.

“When the Big Ten announced their plan for expansion, several people suggested that Nebraska was a strong candidate. I have to admit that the first time I heard this proposal I burst out laughing; there was no way that the Big Ten would admit a school with Nebraska's academic record into the conference. Unlike the other conferences, the Big Ten is both an athletic and academic collaboration. The Big Ten takes academic stature (particularly research) extremely seriously; the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), which includes the Big Ten schools and the University of Chicago, is an academic partnership, and while it does not dispense funds as do conferences, it is a relatively close-knit group. I cannot recall how many meetings that I attended at my institution where the questions ‘Where do we rank in this area in the CIC? How can we improve?’ arose; there was intense pressure to improve academic standing, and the results were evident in the most recent National Research Council Rankings of Graduate Programs (this is what the Big Ten presidents value, not the US News et al rankings).

Me: Right to the point. Not about funds, it's about people.

“I recall the near-universal surprise in November 2012 when Maryland and Rutgers were asked to join, [b]but if one thought as a college president and not as a fan in the street, the moves were quite straightforward. One item that has not received much attention on the sports pages is that Johns Hopkins, which is another truly elite university, has just placed all of their Division I sports in the Big Ten; I would not be surprised if they joined the CIC in the near future.


“I can still remember the moment (6:46 a.m. on 9 June 2010) when I heard the announcement that Nebraska was going to be invited to the Big Ten; I nearly leapt up in bewildered joy! If this was true it was the greatest event in the history of the university since its founding. I felt that I was experiencing an ending to a Victorian novel: the grim, forbidding fate inevitably closing in was suddenly replaced by an improbable twist leading to glorious future! Nebraska was now, by association, in the academic environment of Chicago, Wisconsin, Northwestern, et al. There is a saying in real estate that the best investment is to own the least expensive house in the most expensive neighborhood, and this is essentially where Nebraska finds itself.

“Last year while flying into Lincoln, I was sitting next to a UNL Engineering faculty member, and he remarked that the pressure to improve performance had considerably increased since joining the Big Ten. I doubt Nebraska will ever rise to the level of a Michigan (unless Warren Buffet leaves UNL a couple of billion dollars), but the university's long term survival as a top tier institution is assured.

“I do believe that even if the Big 12 had been relatively stable and there had been no difference in the finances Nebraska still would still have seriously considered an opportunity to join the Big Ten if the option was available.


“There has been considerable speculation about the actions that Oklahoma may take regarding conference realignment. If OU can mitigate the impact of the Grant of Rights and separate itself from OSU, I can see why the lure of the SEC would be overwhelming for the fanbase. If I was leading the University of Oklahoma, however, I would be pushing for a Big Ten invite. OU is much like Nebraska: a good, but not particularly prestigious, university in a small state, with a nationally-recognized athletic program. I for one would love to see the Thanksgiving week contests between the Sooners and the Cornhuskers resurrected, and the academic benefits for Oklahoma would be enormous!”


Me: Please Jim, make that game happen.