College Football--Big Ten Expansion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, I'm not shedding tears for Cal (pretty much anyone calling it Cal isn't affiliated). I've spent plenty of time cheering against them but respect the school a lot and hope the rivalry continues!

Take a peek at Cal's football helmets, then get back to us.

Right, people who didn't go there or work there call it Cal regularly. Occasionally people will say Cal just describing a team. Outside of athletics, I haven't heard an alum use it. They wouldn't say they went to Cal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From a couple of Stanford people who are in the loop on most things in the athletic department there, it was never close for them and the Big Ten. Stanford was willing to take a big cut and now worries they really are ND dependent for the time being.

That is what I wrote many pages back.

Without a home, even Notre Dame may not want Stanford.

I cannot recall the particular article at this time, but Notre Dame wanted to protect two rivalries--USC & Navy. No mention of Stanford.

ND likes to think of itself as a peer institution

[Anonymous]

Will the B1G have any interest in Kansas if the football program improves? Their billionaire backer has been helping the program quite a bit recently.

[Anonymous]

Cal, UCB, Berkeley, UC, California, UC-Berkeley… This is a classic I’m-cooler-than-you tactic: you throw a bunch of options out there, & when some well-meaning person uses one that’s not in vogue that week, you shame them for being un-hip. Works for countries, ethnic groups, disabilities, genders, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will the B1G have any interest in Kansas if the football program improves? Their billionaire backer has been helping the program quite a bit recently.

The University of Kansas is an interesting school. Solid honors program. Great basketball. Gets surprisingly good ratings across the board by the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2023.

The University of Kansas is well positioned as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 Conference is run by really intelligent people--why would Kansas ever think of moving just as the Big 12 is booming ?

The Power 5 Conferences is now the Power 4 = SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the ACC.

[Anonymous]

(OP here):

Everyone acknowledges the University of California at Berkeley as one of the greatest educational institutions in the world as is, of course, Stanford University.

Why the Big Ten Conference did not extend offers to these academic & research powerhouses is not crystal clear, but my best guess is that the media partners just did not see the return on their investment at this time. Might be a bit short-sighted as opportunities to unite/go-in-business-with Stanford and UCal-Berkeley are rare.

Personally, I think that the Big Ten Conference has a moral obligation to extend offers to both universities and that the rewards for all parties will quickly be realized. I cannot imagine a single Big Ten President or Administrator who wouldn't love to be associated with both Stanford & UCal-Berkeley.

There is still time and there are a lot of creative, brilliant minds working on this.

Realignment is not complete, but timetables differ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, I'm not shedding tears for Cal (pretty much anyone calling it Cal isn't affiliated). I've spent plenty of time cheering against them but respect the school a lot and hope the rivalry continues!

Take a peek at Cal's football helmets, then get back to us.

Right, people who didn't go there or work there call it Cal regularly. Occasionally people will say Cal just describing a team. Outside of athletics, I haven't heard an alum use it. They wouldn't say they went to Cal.

I don't know anyone who doesn't call it "Cal"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(OP here):

Everyone acknowledges the University of California at Berkeley as one of the greatest educational institutions in the world as is, of course, Stanford University.

Why the Big Ten Conference did not extend offers to these academic & research powerhouses is not crystal clear, but my best guess is that the media partners just did not see the return on their investment at this time. Might be a bit short-sighted as opportunities to unite/go-in-business-with Stanford and UCal-Berkeley are rare.

Personally, I think that the Big Ten Conference has a moral obligation to extend offers to both universities and that the rewards for all parties will quickly be realized. I cannot imagine a single Big Ten President or Administrator who wouldn't love to be associated with both Stanford & UCal-Berkeley.

There is still time and there are a lot of creative, brilliant minds working on this.

Realignment is not complete, but timetables differ.

Moral obligation? For football?

[Anonymous]

It will be interesting to see what happens with some minor sports at Cal and Stanford since the PAC-10 is weakened so less TV revenue. That means less money can be funneled to non revenue producing sports.

A couple of years ago the following sports were going to be cut at Stanford: Men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling. All these sports got a reprieve after donations and lobbying to save them. Doubtful now they all will be saved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:(OP here):

Everyone acknowledges the University of California at Berkeley as one of the greatest educational institutions in the world as is, of course, Stanford University.

Why the Big Ten Conference did not extend offers to these academic & research powerhouses is not crystal clear, but my best guess is that the media partners just did not see the return on their investment at this time. Might be a bit short-sighted as opportunities to unite/go-in-business-with Stanford and UCal-Berkeley are rare.

Personally, I think that the Big Ten Conference has a moral obligation to extend offers to both universities and that the rewards for all parties will quickly be realized. I cannot imagine a single Big Ten President or Administrator who wouldn't love to be associated with both Stanford & UCal-Berkeley.

There is still time and there are a lot of creative, brilliant minds working on this.

Realignment is not complete, but timetables differ.

Moral obligation? For football?

Yes.

The primary reason for the collapse of the Pac-12 was bad management. Poorly run for well over a decade--even turning down the opportunity to add the University of Texas and Oklahoma as a package deal. The Pac-12 network was, and is, an inferior entity delivering a shoddy product.

Additionally, the Pac-12 disintegrated, in part, because the Big Ten Conference & USC wanted to be in business together.

The Big Ten Conference envisioned adding USC & Notre Dame, but Notre Dame decided to remain as an independent. The Big Ten then considered the University of Oregon, but UCLA wanted in & media partners loved (and love) the LA media market.

Unknown to many, UCLA really needed the extra funds for its athletic department as UCLA athletics was running at a deficit.

[Anonymous]

Will the SEC try to expand to counter the Big Ten Conference's expansion ?

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/5-teams-sec-could-add-expansion-counter-oregon-washington-joining-big-ten

[Anonymous]

There are reports that FSU is looking for private equity money to fund a departure from the ACC.

Why stop there? I will bet that there are folks in Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi looking at the potential investment opportunities to fund a college football league.

Could form a high academic league of Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Rice (once folks get dropped by SEC/B1G). Comes with the added benefit of guaranteed donor slots for the investors.

[Anonymous]

Could form a high academic league of Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Rice (once folks get dropped by SEC/B1G).

How many people would watch a Duke v Rice football game, especially when there will be better match ups?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will the B1G have any interest in Kansas if the football program improves? Their billionaire backer has been helping the program quite a bit recently.

The University of Kansas is an interesting school. Solid honors program. Great basketball. Gets surprisingly good ratings across the board by the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2023.

The University of Kansas is well positioned as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 Conference is run by really intelligent people--why would Kansas ever think of moving just as the Big 12 is booming ?

The Power 5 Conferences is now the Power 4 = SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the ACC.

Kansas would jump to leave for the B1G for the same deal Oregon and Washington got!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The National Science Foundation ranks R&D (research & development) Expenditures for over 1,000 colleges and universities and medical centers each year.
The most recent year that I have is for 2021: (UCal-Berkeley is ranked at #32 with $847 million in R&D expenditures).

R&D Expenditires for 2021:

1) Johns Hopkins University--$3.2 Billion
2) UC-San Francisco--$1.7 Billion
3) U Michigan--$1.64 Billion
4) U Penn--$1.63 Billion
5) U Washington-Seattle--$1.5 Billion

6) UCLA--$1.46 Billion
7) UC-San Diego--$1.426 Billion
8) U Wisconsin-Madison--$1.38 Billion
9) Stanford--$1.275 Billion
10) Harvard--$1.254 Billion

11) Duke--$1.238 Billion
12) Ohio State University--$1.236 Billion
13) UNC--$1.2 Billion
14) Cornell--$1.18 Billion
15) Yale--$1.165 Billion

16) Texas A&M--$1.147 Billion
17) U Maryland--$1.142 Billion
18) U Pittsburgh--$1.135 Billion
19) U Texas Cancer Center--$1.125 Billion
20) Georgia Tech--$1.115 Billion

21) Columbia--$1.10 Billion
22) U Minnesota--$1.073 Billion
23) NYU--$1.064 Billion
24) Vanderbilt--$1.019 Billion
25) WashUStL--$989 million
26) Penn State Univ.--$971 million
27) U Florida--$960 million
28) USC--$956 million
29) MIT--$949 million
30) Northwestern University--$913 million

31) Emory University--$853 million
32) UCal-Berkeley--$847 million
33) Icahn Mount Sinai--$820 million
34) UC-Davis--$817 million
35) U Texas-Austin--$779 million

41) Purdue--$680 million

These #s are basically junk as presented, especially given the combined medical centers that some have.

UC San Francisco is nothing but a medical center and is #2. Speaks to the dominance of health related R&D (and NIH).