The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[TripletDaddy]

FYI, Cincinnati is still not a member of the B12

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/spor...nent/30943873/

The University of Cincinnati continues to be mentioned as a Big 12 Conference expansion candidate, should the league ever grow. For now, UC keeps striving to be among the shining stars of the non-Power Five leagues...

...For now, nothing seems imminent on the Big 12 expansion front. The Big 12 does have an expansion committee, technically a Composition Committee, but that is among the few bits of actual news that have emerged recently.

[byu71]

What is BYU's status with the Association of American Universities?

[Jeff Lebowski]

What is BYU's status with the Association of American Universities?

Not a member. And highly unlikely it would ever happen. BYU is not a research institution.

[BigFatMeanie]

What is BYU's status with the Association of American Universities?

non-status

[byu71]

Not a member. And highly unlikely it would ever happen. BYU is not a research institution.

I would assume there are other organizations or lists that rank the University on the quality of education received. Such organizations I assume would have BYU highly ranked.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I would assume there are other organizations or lists that rank the University on the quality of education received. Such organizations I assume would have BYU highly ranked.

BYU does great on many metrics, but BYU does not have a mission to be a top-tier research school. Rather the mission is to be a top-tier undergraduate teaching institution, with a few selected areas of research excellence.

Getting on the AAU list is tough. Utah has a decent level of research and they are not a member. Here is a list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associ...n_Universities

[BigFatMeanie]

I have no problem with the AAU but, as stated other threads, I am baffled as to why AAU membership has anything to do with whom you decide to play regularly in an athletic contest. Obviously it doesn't really matter who you play occasionally because I don't see the B1G schools playing the mighty Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University or the Beavers of Cal Tech, both AAU schools, but I do see the B1G schools playing plenty of non-AAU schools in non-conference games. But somehow when it comes down to deciding who you will play regularly, who will be in your athletic conference, AAU status means something? Truly baffling.

[TripletDaddy]

I have no problem with the AAU but, as stated other threads, I am baffled as to why AAU membership has anything to do with whom you decide to play regularly in an athletic contest. Obviously it doesn't really matter who you play occasionally because I don't see the B1G schools playing the mighty Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University or the Beavers of Cal Tech, both AAU schools, but I do see the B1G schools playing plenty of non-AAU schools in non-conference games. But somehow when it comes down to deciding who you will play regularly, who will be in your athletic conference, AAU status means something? Truly baffling.

Academic budgets dwarf athletic budgets. Greater access to funds increases likelihood of overall viability, including athletics. AAU schools may be in a better position long-term to improve or maintain athletic programs. That sort of thing.

But more than that, it is something cool to say when expanding so that everyone feels good about the professionalization of college athletics. If you mix in some academic speak, the cash grab is more palatable.

[Armenag]

My perception is that AAU status is increasingly jealously guarded. 4 schools have been admitted since 2000, and they seem like easy calls: A&M, Stony Brook, Boston U, and Ga Tech. At this point, if you're not already in the club, it will take some major effort to get an invite. Nebraska's own conference-mates led the charge in removing its membership. Invitation and 3/4 vote are needed for admission; 2/3 for revocation.

[wapiti]

I was told by some Utes that academics is critical to Pac 12 membership because the schools have an academic library sharing system. Such coordination clearly shows why academics are important to members of an athletic conference.

[Surfah]

I was told by some Utes that academics is critical to Pac 12 membership because the schools have an academic library sharing system. Such coordination clearly shows why academics are important to members of an athletic conference.

LOL. I am not surprised Utes would spout such. I mean the PAC has some great schools (some of the best), but it's not like Oregon State, ASU, Utah, Wazzu are academic heavyweights.

[TripletDaddy]

LOL. I am not surprised Utes would spout such. I mean the PAC has some great schools (some of the best), but it's not like Oregon State, ASU, Utah, Wazzu are academic heavyweights.

apparently they have an inter-library loan system though, which is nice

[TripletDaddy]

Berry Tramel now slamming B12 for NOT having CCG.

http://newsok.com/article/5437806?ut...reBar-Facebook

The Big 12 has touted its round-robin scheduling model since going to 10 members for the 2011 football season. But that’s a bragging right that has little cachet outside the minds of a few coaches and marketing agencies that keep proving to be out of touch with the college football landscape. I mean, a league that touts itself for its members all playing each other is better than a league that touts itself for its members all being in a single time zone, as the Big 12 did and was in 2011, but that’s about it.

The Big 12 does little except bewilderingly tries to diminish its own history when it embraces concepts like a round-robin schedule and no conference championship game. Sort of like a campaign that would try to convince us that American life was better before technological advances like indoor plumbing and air-conditioning. Uh, no. Not going to buy it.

#groundswell

[Armenag]

LOL. I am not surprised Utes would spout such. I mean the PAC has some great schools (some of the best), but it's not like Oregon State, ASU, Utah, Wazzu are academic heavyweights.

Academically, the Pac is the most bifurcated conference in the country -- 4 schools in the US News top 25, 1 at 46, 1 at 97, and then 115 and beyond, for an average of 81.75. The Big 12 average is pretty unimpressive at 113.1. BYU would have the second-highest ranking in the conference (62). The ACC (51.2) and Big 10 (57.5) spank the other conferences.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-foo...erences-092012

[wapiti]

Academically, the Pac is the most bifurcated conference in the country -- 4 schools in the US News top 25, 1 at 46, 1 at 97, and then 115 and beyond, for an average of 81.75. The Big 12 average is pretty unimpressive at 113.1. BYU would have the second-highest ranking in the conference (62). The ACC (51.2) and Big 10 (57.5) spank the other conferences.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-foo...erences-092012

US News doesn't care about research. That's all the Pac cares about.