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AAC and Academics
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SMUstang Offline
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Post: #41
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 01:19 PM)colohank Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 10:03 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 09:22 PM)Foreverandever Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 08:44 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 01:35 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Right--when it comes to academics---I dont think anyone will be looking down their nose at West Point. The competition to get in there is every bit as stiff as it is for many Ivy league schools. In terms of "exclusivity" and quality---the academies are generally perceived as being similar to other very high quality academic institutions by both the public and university presidents.

Actually tougher for the non-athletic. You have to get interviewed, not have any legal issues and pass a medical and fitness test.

As well as a congressional recommendation I believe.

I'm not sure I am giving any undergrad an edge over an Army grad.

Maybe Harvard Law is more prestigious than graduating as a commissioned officer in the military from West Point, not sure a bachelor in finances from Princeton is though.

Yes. You need a congressional recommendation. You also need top 1% grades, tremendous character (think eagle scout character), lots of activities.

An incredible young man I know was a finalist but didnt make the final cut. He screwed up by actually concentrating too much on academics. They like to see some athletic accomplishments. He played football in Jr High and quit to add to his resume of activites, pursue Eagle Scout, and concentrate on academics. He was very disappointed, but he ended up with a full ride to Texas A&M which included some sort of international scholarship opportunity---so--his work wasnt exactly for nothing. Still, when I see the kind of kid that was rejected....you realize the guys that actually make it into West Point have to be incredibly special.

Yes, and then it dawns on you that Mike Pompeo graduated at the top of his West Point class, and you think WTF?

I don't judge a person based on his IQ or his alma mater.
04-20-2021 02:16 PM
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gulfcoastgal Offline
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Post: #42
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 02:16 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  I don't judge a person based on his IQ or his alma mater.
We can be besties if you change pronouns.04-cheers
04-20-2021 05:06 PM
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gulfcoastgal Offline
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Post: #43
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 10:09 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 11:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 10:20 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 01:46 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  No offense to the eggheads on the board, but for the AAC they need quality on the field and in brand strength over academic rankings. Its all about ratings and revenue my friend-- and unless Rice is sharing research dollars with AAC members schools, they aren't going to be added.

Exactly what I was thinking. No one scrolls through the channels and chooses which game to watch based on the level of a schools academics.

On the field football performance and BRAND---if good enough---can certainly bring enough value to a conference that university presidents are willing to overlook perceived academic shortcomings (to a degree). Ideally, every conference wants any candidate to have the academics of Rice and the football brand/performance of Ohio St.

I tend to agree with those who have said academics is kind of an either/or thing. For any conference, there is kind of a minimum bar for academics. The bar is at different levels depending on the conference. And all you need to do is meet the bar, exceeding it doesn't mean much.So IMO if the Big 12 is considering expansion, and the informal bar in the minds of the conference presidents is something around 200 in US News rankings, and Memphis is at 180 and SMU is at 80, it really doesn't help SMU that much to be ranked 100 spots ahead - both meet the bar so now it's on to brand and other stuff.

For the AAC, we know that it really doesn't have much of a minimum bar, because the AAC seems to have had talks with Boise about joining for football, and Boise is a 300 - 400 level US News school. That basically includes everyone who the AAC could possibly be considering.

So IMO, for the AAC, academics really won't figure in to this process, if there is an expansion process.

Agree, however, schools that tend to “punch above their weight” are few and far between. Louisville, Boise and Memphis come to mind. If a team excels/competes in a major sport, they can rise above. All three have come a long way from initial academic strategic initiatives.
04-20-2021 05:18 PM
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Rob3338 Offline
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Post: #44
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-19-2021 12:34 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  The AAC is eyeing Boise State or Army instead of Rice or Buffalo. What does that tell you about their priorities? And that is more a reflection on this country’s priorities than the conference. What school’s diploma is the best in the long run?


It has NOTHING to do with academic or research priorities. The AAC like all other sports conferences (except the Ivy League) is ONLY about sports and nothing else. Further it should be only about sports.
04-20-2021 05:35 PM
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Attackcoog Offline
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Post: #45
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 05:35 PM)Rob3338 Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 12:34 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  The AAC is eyeing Boise State or Army instead of Rice or Buffalo. What does that tell you about their priorities? And that is more a reflection on this country’s priorities than the conference. What school’s diploma is the best in the long run?


It has NOTHING to do with academic or research priorities. The AAC like all other sports conferences (except the Ivy League) is ONLY about sports and nothing else. Further it should be only about sports.

As long as university presidents are doing the voting---you can bet academics will count. If athletics was all that mattered, the AAC presidents would never have selected Tulane in 2011. Its not like Tulane dominated the NOLA TV market or was a football power at the time---but school presidents have always liked the idea of associating their schools with schools with strong academic reputations. I think they see these conference associations with schools boasting strong academic reputations as reflecting well on their own university's academic perception. Its just how these presidents see the world.
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2021 06:05 PM by Attackcoog.)
04-20-2021 06:02 PM
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quo vadis Online
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Post: #46
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 05:18 PM)gulfcoastgal Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 10:09 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 11:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 10:20 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 01:46 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  No offense to the eggheads on the board, but for the AAC they need quality on the field and in brand strength over academic rankings. Its all about ratings and revenue my friend-- and unless Rice is sharing research dollars with AAC members schools, they aren't going to be added.

Exactly what I was thinking. No one scrolls through the channels and chooses which game to watch based on the level of a schools academics.

On the field football performance and BRAND---if good enough---can certainly bring enough value to a conference that university presidents are willing to overlook perceived academic shortcomings (to a degree). Ideally, every conference wants any candidate to have the academics of Rice and the football brand/performance of Ohio St.

I tend to agree with those who have said academics is kind of an either/or thing. For any conference, there is kind of a minimum bar for academics. The bar is at different levels depending on the conference. And all you need to do is meet the bar, exceeding it doesn't mean much.So IMO if the Big 12 is considering expansion, and the informal bar in the minds of the conference presidents is something around 200 in US News rankings, and Memphis is at 180 and SMU is at 80, it really doesn't help SMU that much to be ranked 100 spots ahead - both meet the bar so now it's on to brand and other stuff.

For the AAC, we know that it really doesn't have much of a minimum bar, because the AAC seems to have had talks with Boise about joining for football, and Boise is a 300 - 400 level US News school. That basically includes everyone who the AAC could possibly be considering.

So IMO, for the AAC, academics really won't figure in to this process, if there is an expansion process.

Agree, however, schools that tend to “punch above their weight” are few and far between. Louisville, Boise and Memphis come to mind. If a team excels/competes in a major sport, they can rise above. All three have come a long way from initial academic strategic initiatives.

No question, exceptional athletic ability can cause the academic bar to be lowered. The B1G and Nebraska is a good example. Nebraska's blue-blood football brand overcame what by B1G standards were weak academics. It's kind of like if a school has a basic admission standard of a 3.0 average and 1100 SAT. But if the SAT is 1300, then the GPA can be 2.5.

Louisville of course is an even better one. In their case, it was performance plus the desperate need for a just-then-raided ACC to shore up its stability, particularly with regards to mollifying its football flagships.

I still do not think the ACC has much of an academic measuring stick and I don't think it ever has. The AAC has always been a "haphazard" formation of the "best athletic schools east of the continental divide not in the P5". Heck, the AAC invited Wichita State for hoops and they are maybe a US News #350 school or thereabouts. The AAC is all over the map academically, with, counting Navy, four schools in the US News top 100 but also a few outside of the top 200. So I just do not think there ever has been a real academic strategy in the AAC. It's all about the sports.
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2021 06:25 PM by quo vadis.)
04-20-2021 06:18 PM
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SMUstang Offline
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Post: #47
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 06:18 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 05:18 PM)gulfcoastgal Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 10:09 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 11:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  
(04-19-2021 10:20 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  Exactly what I was thinking. No one scrolls through the channels and chooses which game to watch based on the level of a schools academics.

On the field football performance and BRAND---if good enough---can certainly bring enough value to a conference that university presidents are willing to overlook perceived academic shortcomings (to a degree). Ideally, every conference wants any candidate to have the academics of Rice and the football brand/performance of Ohio St.

I tend to agree with those who have said academics is kind of an either/or thing. For any conference, there is kind of a minimum bar for academics. The bar is at different levels depending on the conference. And all you need to do is meet the bar, exceeding it doesn't mean much.So IMO if the Big 12 is considering expansion, and the informal bar in the minds of the conference presidents is something around 200 in US News rankings, and Memphis is at 180 and SMU is at 80, it really doesn't help SMU that much to be ranked 100 spots ahead - both meet the bar so now it's on to brand and other stuff.

For the AAC, we know that it really doesn't have much of a minimum bar, because the AAC seems to have had talks with Boise about joining for football, and Boise is a 300 - 400 level US News school. That basically includes everyone who the AAC could possibly be considering.

So IMO, for the AAC, academics really won't figure in to this process, if there is an expansion process.

Agree, however, schools that tend to “punch above their weight” are few and far between. Louisville, Boise and Memphis come to mind. If a team excels/competes in a major sport, they can rise above. All three have come a long way from initial academic strategic initiatives.

No question, exceptional athletic ability can cause the academic bar to be lowered. The B1G and Nebraska is a good example. Nebraska's blue-blood football brand overcame what by B1G standards were weak academics. It's kind of like if a school has a basic admission standard of a 3.0 average and 1100 SAT. But if the SAT is 1300, then the GPA can be 2.5.

Louisville of course is an even better one. In their case, it was performance plus the desperate need for a just-then-raided ACC to shore up its stability, particularly with regards to mollifying its football flagships.

I still do not think the ACC has much of an academic measuring stick and I don't think it ever has. The AAC has always been a "haphazard" formation of the "best athletic schools east of the continental divide not in the P5". Heck, the AAC invited Wichita State for hoops and they are maybe a US News #350 school or thereabouts. The AAC is all over the map academically, with, counting Navy, four schools in the US News top 100 but also a few outside of the top 200. So I just do not think there ever has been a real academic strategy in the AAC. It's all about the sports.

You're probably correct, but one of the AAC's latest adds was Tulane. That was probably not for their sports only, those are pretty sorry, but they have high academic standards.
04-20-2021 07:32 PM
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orangefan Offline
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Post: #48
RE: AAC and Academics
If the AAC does bring in a football only school like Army or Boise, it really ought to look to bring in a non-football school in the East that reduces the travel burden on Temple and ECU, possibly VCU, but definitely someone in the MD-DC-VA region.
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2021 07:53 PM by orangefan.)
04-20-2021 07:52 PM
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TexanMark Offline
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Post: #49
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 07:52 PM)orangefan Wrote:  If the AAC does bring in a football only school like Army or Boise, it really ought to look to bring in a non-football school in the East that reduces the travel burden on Temple and ECU, possibly VCU, but definitely someone in the MD-DC-VA region.

VCU makes sense. Maybe Old Dominion if they agree to make FB Indy for now.

James Madison is one FCS school that has potential as an all sport member.
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2021 08:09 PM by TexanMark.)
04-20-2021 08:08 PM
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Post: #50
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 06:02 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  As long as university presidents are doing the voting---you can bet academics will count. If athletics was all that mattered, the AAC presidents would never have selected Tulane in 2011. Its not like Tulane dominated the NOLA TV market or was a football power at the time---but school presidents have always liked the idea of associating their schools with schools with strong academic reputations. I think they see these conference associations with schools boasting strong academic reputations as reflecting well on their own university's academic perception. Its just how these presidents see the world.

It was the promotion of Tulane that led the Big East basketball schools to jump ship.
04-20-2021 11:05 PM
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Attackcoog Offline
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Post: #51
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 11:05 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 06:02 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  As long as university presidents are doing the voting---you can bet academics will count. If athletics was all that mattered, the AAC presidents would never have selected Tulane in 2011. Its not like Tulane dominated the NOLA TV market or was a football power at the time---but school presidents have always liked the idea of associating their schools with schools with strong academic reputations. I think they see these conference associations with schools boasting strong academic reputations as reflecting well on their own university's academic perception. Its just how these presidents see the world.

It was the promotion of Tulane that led the Big East basketball schools to jump ship.

Thats a popular belief, but I dont see how it could be true. If you look at which members actually still had voting privileges at the time (just UConn, USF, Cinci, and the C7), the only way for Tulane to get an invite in late fall of 2012 was to capture no less than 5 of the 7 Catholic school votes. These are schools that were perfectly comfortable voting "no" at the same meeting when it came to giving ECU a full membership. So, they werent timid little souls. There may have been a C7 school that was unhappy with Tulane---but most of them seemed ok with it as the vast majority of the C7 clearly voted to give them an invite.

My personal opinion is the C7 had been looking into a separation since that summer (heard rumors of it in summer of 2012). My guess is they looked at it more as a backup plan at that time and had some ballpark idea of what they could earn as a new league. When all hell broke loose in the fall mass exodus of 2012---and the expected AAC TV dollars didnt materialize---that was when they got serious. I dont think Tulane had much to do with it. I think they were just an easy target for one C7 AD.
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2021 11:38 PM by Attackcoog.)
04-20-2021 11:34 PM
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SMUstang Offline
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Post: #52
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 07:32 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 06:18 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I still do not think the ACC has much of an academic measuring stick and I don't think it ever has. The AAC has always been a "haphazard" formation of the "best athletic schools east of the continental divide not in the P5". Heck, the AAC invited Wichita State for hoops and they are maybe a US News #350 school or thereabouts. The AAC is all over the map academically, with, counting Navy, four schools in the US News top 100 but also a few outside of the top 200. So I just do not think there ever has been a real academic strategy in the AAC. It's all about the sports.

You're probably correct, but one of the AAC's latest adds was Tulane. That was probably not for their sports only, those are pretty sorry, but they have high academic standards.

Besides Tulane, the AAC has Navy, SMU, and Tulsa. Not academic powerhouses, but respectful.
04-21-2021 08:15 AM
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Post: #53
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-21-2021 08:15 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 07:32 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 06:18 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I still do not think the ACC has much of an academic measuring stick and I don't think it ever has. The AAC has always been a "haphazard" formation of the "best athletic schools east of the continental divide not in the P5". Heck, the AAC invited Wichita State for hoops and they are maybe a US News #350 school or thereabouts. The AAC is all over the map academically, with, counting Navy, four schools in the US News top 100 but also a few outside of the top 200. So I just do not think there ever has been a real academic strategy in the AAC. It's all about the sports.

You're probably correct, but one of the AAC's latest adds was Tulane. That was probably not for their sports only, those are pretty sorry, but they have high academic standards.

Besides Tulane, the AAC has Navy, SMU, and Tulsa. Not academic powerhouses, but respectful.


That is the AAC's "Academic Power Four," no question.
04-21-2021 09:08 AM
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Post: #54
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-21-2021 09:08 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  
(04-21-2021 08:15 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  Besides Tulane, the AAC has Navy, SMU, and Tulsa. Not academic powerhouses, but respectful.


That is the AAC's "Academic Power Four," no question.

Baltimore Airport meeting of the early 2000's: Army, Navy, Tulane, Rice, SMU, Tulsa
04-21-2021 09:31 AM
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Post: #55
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-21-2021 09:08 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  
(04-21-2021 08:15 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 07:32 PM)SMUstang Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 06:18 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I still do not think the ACC has much of an academic measuring stick and I don't think it ever has. The AAC has always been a "haphazard" formation of the "best athletic schools east of the continental divide not in the P5". Heck, the AAC invited Wichita State for hoops and they are maybe a US News #350 school or thereabouts. The AAC is all over the map academically, with, counting Navy, four schools in the US News top 100 but also a few outside of the top 200. So I just do not think there ever has been a real academic strategy in the AAC. It's all about the sports.

You're probably correct, but one of the AAC's latest adds was Tulane. That was probably not for their sports only, those are pretty sorry, but they have high academic standards.

Besides Tulane, the AAC has Navy, SMU, and Tulsa. Not academic powerhouses, but respectful.


That is the AAC's "Academic Power Four," no question.

That was part of my point - the AAC does have some top-100 ranked schools, but also several between 100 and 200, and some outside of 200 as well.

So it doesn't really seem to have a clear "academic profile". It's all over the map academically, which IMO means it doesn't really have an academic standard or strategy, per se.
04-21-2021 09:49 AM
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RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 11:34 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Thats a popular belief, but I dont see how it could be true. If you look at which members actually still had voting privileges at the time (just UConn, USF, Cinci, and the C7), the only way for Tulane to get an invite in late fall of 2012 was to capture no less than 5 of the 7 Catholic school votes. These are schools that were perfectly comfortable voting "no" at the same meeting when it came to giving ECU a full membership. So, they werent timid little souls. There may have been a C7 school that was unhappy with Tulane---but most of them seemed ok with it as the vast majority of the C7 clearly voted to give them an invite.

I think the issue was that Tulane had never (and arguably, has never) invested in basketball whereas the other entries (Memphis, Houston, SMU) had some basketball commitment and success.
04-21-2021 10:28 AM
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Post: #57
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-21-2021 10:28 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 11:34 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Thats a popular belief, but I dont see how it could be true. If you look at which members actually still had voting privileges at the time (just UConn, USF, Cinci, and the C7), the only way for Tulane to get an invite in late fall of 2012 was to capture no less than 5 of the 7 Catholic school votes. These are schools that were perfectly comfortable voting "no" at the same meeting when it came to giving ECU a full membership. So, they werent timid little souls. There may have been a C7 school that was unhappy with Tulane---but most of them seemed ok with it as the vast majority of the C7 clearly voted to give them an invite.

I think the issue was that Tulane had never (and arguably, has never) invested in basketball whereas the other entries (Memphis, Houston, SMU) had some basketball commitment and success.

If we're being honest, the C7 could have kept Tulane a football affiliate if they were still invested in the hybrid model. Had they delivered an ultimatum along the lines of "you can have us or Tulane basketball, but not both" to the football side, Tulane's playing basketball in the SoCon right now. The real issue is likely that they could all see where things were headed in terms of geography/travel, opponents, and tv money and contraction/realignment with the Fox Sports contract was much more appealing.
04-21-2021 10:45 AM
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Post: #58
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-21-2021 10:28 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 11:34 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Thats a popular belief, but I dont see how it could be true. If you look at which members actually still had voting privileges at the time (just UConn, USF, Cinci, and the C7), the only way for Tulane to get an invite in late fall of 2012 was to capture no less than 5 of the 7 Catholic school votes. These are schools that were perfectly comfortable voting "no" at the same meeting when it came to giving ECU a full membership. So, they werent timid little souls. There may have been a C7 school that was unhappy with Tulane---but most of them seemed ok with it as the vast majority of the C7 clearly voted to give them an invite.

I think the issue was that Tulane had never (and arguably, has never) invested in basketball whereas the other entries (Memphis, Houston, SMU) had some basketball commitment and success.

Which circles us back to The subject matter of this thread. The majority of C7 presidents were comfortable voting for Tulane, not because the Green Wave had any real basketball reputation, but rather—because of what Tulane represents as an academic institution.
(This post was last modified: 04-21-2021 10:47 AM by Attackcoog.)
04-21-2021 10:46 AM
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RE: AAC and Academics
(04-20-2021 11:34 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 11:05 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 06:02 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  As long as university presidents are doing the voting---you can bet academics will count. If athletics was all that mattered, the AAC presidents would never have selected Tulane in 2011. Its not like Tulane dominated the NOLA TV market or was a football power at the time---but school presidents have always liked the idea of associating their schools with schools with strong academic reputations. I think they see these conference associations with schools boasting strong academic reputations as reflecting well on their own university's academic perception. Its just how these presidents see the world.

It was the promotion of Tulane that led the Big East basketball schools to jump ship.

Thats a popular belief, but I dont see how it could be true. If you look at which members actually still had voting privileges at the time (just UConn, USF, Cinci, and the C7), the only way for Tulane to get an invite in late fall of 2012 was to capture no less than 5 of the 7 Catholic school votes. These are schools that were perfectly comfortable voting "no" at the same meeting when it came to giving ECU a full membership. So, they werent timid little souls. There may have been a C7 school that was unhappy with Tulane---but most of them seemed ok with it as the vast majority of the C7 clearly voted to give them an invite.

My personal opinion is the C7 had been looking into a separation since that summer (heard rumors of it in summer of 2012). My guess is they looked at it more as a backup plan at that time and had some ballpark idea of what they could earn as a new league. When all hell broke loose in the fall mass exodus of 2012---and the expected AAC TV dollars didnt materialize---that was when they got serious. I dont think Tulane had much to do with it. I think they were just an easy target for one C7 AD.

My belief is that both you and the popular opinion are correct. First, you are correct in that to issue the invitation, a clear majority of C7 schools had to vote to do it. There's just no getting around that fact.

But on the other hand, especially in a stressful chaotic situation, people can do things one day and regret doing them a few days later - see the furious backpedaling by the soccer "Super League" teams that joined Sunday and are bailing now. The vote to admit ECU and Tulane may have been carried out under these circumstances, with Rutgers and Louisville leaving, and maybe with events swirling the C7 looked to the conference leadership for guidance as to who to invite rather than thinking it through for themselves. Speculation, sure, but maybe. Conferences don't only do what presidents want, conference presidents hire commissioners and other leaders to ... lead. They are paying them for their advice about what to do so it is silly to think they ignore it and are not influenced by it. Just look at today's AAC - that is IMO obviously an "Aresco led" league. Aresco doesn't just do what the member presidents want, he's obviously an active strategizer who they rely on to lead them.

I think that what happened after Tulane and ECU were admitted, and Louisville left, the C7 schools were able to step back, and take a look at the new landscape and say "what have we done"? And they didn't like the look of the new Big East, especially with regards to hoops, now with Louisville gone and new additions ECU and Tulane and Boise (who was still on board) having bad basketball. And like with the Super League, these opinions could have been shaped partially by the media, which IIRC had a negative reaction to inviting Tulane. This caused minds to change about what had just been done.

I also think Tulane was singled out unfairly. Tulane was not the "cause" of the C7 leaving, more like, in the new appraisal described above, the "straw that broke the back", just one element in a long string of collapses that cumulatively led to the bail out. E.g., if in early 2011, when the Big East was intact, Tulane had been invited, no way do the C7 leave over that, that would be crazy. Even as a "final blow", the real culprit was the final raid by the ACC and B1G to take Rutgers and Louisville.

So that aspect of the popular opinion, the notion that save for the invite to Tulane, the C7 would have stayed, is IMO wrong. Inviting Tulane contributed to the C7 exit, but wasn't a sufficient condition for it. The real cause was the overall collapse of the conference caused by ACC raids, and its reconstitution (inevitable) with schools that were more football-focused and had nothing in common culturally or historically with the C7. But, I also think the C7 had a genuine change in attitude about Tulane, from the time they voted to the time they left two or so weeks later.
(This post was last modified: 04-21-2021 11:05 AM by quo vadis.)
04-21-2021 10:50 AM
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SMUstang Offline
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Post: #60
RE: AAC and Academics
(04-21-2021 10:45 AM)Bogg Wrote:  
(04-21-2021 10:28 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  
(04-20-2021 11:34 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Thats a popular belief, but I dont see how it could be true. If you look at which members actually still had voting privileges at the time (just UConn, USF, Cinci, and the C7), the only way for Tulane to get an invite in late fall of 2012 was to capture no less than 5 of the 7 Catholic school votes. These are schools that were perfectly comfortable voting "no" at the same meeting when it came to giving ECU a full membership. So, they werent timid little souls. There may have been a C7 school that was unhappy with Tulane---but most of them seemed ok with it as the vast majority of the C7 clearly voted to give them an invite.

I think the issue was that Tulane had never (and arguably, has never) invested in basketball whereas the other entries (Memphis, Houston, SMU) had some basketball commitment and success.

If we're being honest, the C7 could have kept Tulane a football affiliate if they were still invested in the hybrid model. Had they delivered an ultimatum along the lines of "you can have us or Tulane basketball, but not both" to the football side, Tulane's playing basketball in the SoCon right now. The real issue is likely that they could all see where things were headed in terms of geography/travel, opponents, and tv money and contraction/realignment with the Fox Sports contract was much more appealing.
04-21-2021 11:00 AM
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