(02-03-2020 08:54 PM)VCE Wrote: Cincinnati looks like some P6 schools in success on the court, field and academics/endowment. They sit on the border between football crazy Ohio and basketball crazy Kentucky and (almost) Indiana.
They're in a basketball hotspot, but there are enough fans to support the three Cincy area programs plus however many KY and Louisville fans are across the river. I'd guess they are a strong 2nd in the area to OSU in football, ahead of even ND who has great ties there.
My perception is that Cincy is far less of a commuter school than Houston, Temple, UCF/USF and other city/directional schools. There's a reason they were invited to the BE 15 years ago. I have friends who are from there and who have graduated from there, maybe i'm biased.
BYU seems like a good fit in the P6, at least athletically. I think the nationwide fanbase is overrated; they aren't ND. Additionally, the conservative nature may keep them out of the club, but BYU students are generally exceptional and bright in both intellect and life achievements.
CSU has had some success in football- I remember them being in Sports Illustrated's top 25 polls back in the 80s/90s once in a while, but they have a lot less pull in CO than many realize. I'd say close to half of the CSU grads i know grew up as CU fans, and many have remained so.
U?F is tough to judge. At some point, the two may become too big to ignore. I know that the academics at both are improving, but there aren't a ton of their alums on Wall Street, big law, big accounting, elite government, etc.
I've worked with, for and managed people from the above schools, excepting the FL twins. I hope that dynamic changes for them, but until it does, I don't see Big State snobs inviting them into the group.
On the the Cincinnati theme, I'll weigh in and also will use Louisville and Memphis for context since the three share various similarities and histories. (Note: my brother attended UC, my sister-in-law attended UL and my parents attend UM).
Cincinnati in terms of endowment ($1.4B), enrollment and academic prestige is a Power 5-level university. Of note, its somewhat smallish campus size (in terms of number of buildings and acreage) does not suggest a university of more than 40,000 students. The men's hoops program is far stronger historically than many folks realize, and football has taken off the past 15 years or so. UC is deserving of a power league home (admittedly, I'm biased).
Louisville counters (and earned the ACC invite) due to a extremely impressive combination of football, men's and women's hoops, and baseball. I'm not sure there has ever been an urban "city" university (public or private) that has done collectively so well in all four sports for so many years. Academically, UL is solid — but no Cincy.
Memphis has challenges. It's endowment ($215M) and enrollment (about 22,000) are so-so. Its academics are modest (but improving). Obviously, men's basketball is a huge deal, in large part because the city is overwhelmingly basketball crazy (an extremely large African-American population is a major factor in that). When the Tigers are winning big on the hardwood, seemingly the entire city gets behind them. Regardless, Memphis is not nearly as ready as UC for a power league invite.
The "Big Three" for P5 inclusion (in my book) are Cincy, UConn and BYU.
UConn could still get the call up despite a horrendous football situation. All the other key elements are place. The Big East (a power league in men's hoops) will be an outstanding place for all its non-football sports. But make no mistake: if the ACC invites, UConn is gone. Still, I struggle to see that happening.
BYU has the academic and athletic budgets, endowment, prestige, athletic facilities ... go down the list.
A school that some tend to unfairly downplay when talking about a "call up" is Houston. Very similar to Cincy in terms of enrollment, endowment, athletics, academics, etc. Strong combo of football and men's hoops (nice history in both).
And you can't overlook UCF, USF, Boise, San Diego State and Colorado State.
Having written all this, there simply are not many "slots" left in the Power 5 club.