Well we sit in the NYC market, that's the point. Hard for teams outside of the market to get better ratings than us in the NYC market. We're not the best performing B10 team but in the same fashion I wouldn't be surprised if we're again involved with the highest rated B10 games in NYC. It's hard to beat a team in ratings in their own home market and luckily ours happens to be the most coveted.
There are mentions of AAU mattering and being a large land grant university fitting the profile but one thing overrides it all...the market.
IMO 95% or more of the reason we're in the B10 is because of our market. It's why, while never considering it a guarantee, I always felt we'd be in the conference before their new tv deal came up despite the hysteria on the board with every defection. If anything I'd put geographic partners for PSU as higher up on the list than performance or facilities. I've mentioned Athletic articles that reference that specifically, not facilities or performance. We have to be grateful we sit where we do.
From the article:
Plus, perhaps most of all, Smith added this: "The location was perfect."
It was not the recent success of the football tam that mattered to the Big Ten, although it certainly helped ease concerns. It was not the $100-million expansion of SHI Stadium, either, that made Rutgers a possible candidate-none of the facilities, in fact, "were considered or discussed during the run-up to expansion," Delany said.
But, above all else, Rutgers was on the Big Ten's short list of expansion candidates for one reason. It was the market.
geotargit.com
