(06-27-2020 08:48 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-27-2020 08:35 AM)panite Wrote:  

(06-26-2020 09:00 PM)Statefan Wrote:  

(06-26-2020 08:34 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(06-26-2020 08:07 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Not only that, but even with the truckloads of money that the YUM Center deal and their boosters provided, Louisville was still the sixth and last Big East team to get a rescue to a P5. They didn't leave on the last train out, by the time they were picked up the last train had seemingly already left, and inexplicably someone ordered a special diesel to go back and scoop them up from G5 purgatory. They scored that saving goal deep in stoppage time.

IOW's, a big dollop of luck in addition to a big dollop of money. That might be hard for any current G to duplicate.

So it seems Rutgers was in the same category.

Louisville worked to save itself. Rutgers got lucky because of a TV market that made cable TV money for the B10 Network. They have the largest subsidy from the schools budget to play football in the P-5.

Rutgers also poured money into its FB stadium additions and other sports facilities like L'Ville to get on the brass ring express like L'Ville. Rutgers also had the support of Penn State over the years for inclusion into the B-10. Money and friends in important places also help.

Rutgers did invest a lot, but UConn did as well, for all the good it did them. And I would say that at the time the decision to invite Rutgers was tendered, Penn State's influence in the halls of the B1G was at a nadir. They were busy taking down Joe Paterno statues and removing his name from the trophy.

Bottom line for me is that when it came down to Rutgers and UConn it probably was a close call for the B1G and who knows what the deciding factors were, you probably had to be sitting around the conference table at the time to know for sure. I suspect it boiled down to some football fundamentals - Rutgers had a bigger stadium, closer access to NYC (the real prize), much more fertile recruiting grounds, and a larger football fan base in the area. Rutgers also was fortunate to be playing better football on the field than UConn around the time the decision was made, despite UConn's 2010 Fiesta Bowl appearance.

Of course, since Rutgers football has been about as putrid the past 5 years as UConn football, it reads funny talking about them having a football advantage over anyone, but that's how it was in 2012.

The Big 10 had been talking about Rutgers since the 90s. When Notre Dame accepted and then turned around and rejected their invitation, they publicly said they were looking at Kansas, Missouri and Rutgers. They decided to stay put at 11 at that point.