NC State and Virginia Tech are banner programs right now in the ACC, and UNC/UVA are solid programs as well. Outside of Oklahoma State, Big 12 seems to be stuck in neutral. Right now I'd have B1G > ACC > Big 12 in that order in wrestling.
Has the ACC Passed the Big 12 in Wrestling?
- Thread starter bigmatt718
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I don't think so. Just tried adding the totals on my head and got around 1427, I think, so the B1G total of 681 isn't quite half. But it is close.
I think the answer to your question is yes. The ACC has quietly been investing in their programs through coaches, facilities, and scholarship funding. As a result big things are starting to happen for the conference.
NCST is a legit top ten/borderline top five program. Popolizio has done an incredible job building their program. VPI is a top 10 type program, that has sustained success even after losing their HC. UVA, UNC, and Duke all field competitive programs. Pitt "could" build a strong program considering their proximity to talent in two states, but I question their schools commitment to fielding championship level programs.
OTOH with The Big 12 you have a top 5 program in OSU, who will be back in a big way next season, and a scrappy ISU program that will threaten top ten status when Dresser gets things rolling. After that you have a major drop off. Yes you have plenty of great individual performers like Gross or Meredith, but their programs simply can not collect enough of these guys to sustain high level programs.
Going forward I see a top ten pecking order looking something like this:
1)PSU
2)tOSU
3)OSU
4)Iowa
5)Cornell
6)NCSU
7)Missouri
8)VPI
9)Michign
10)ASU
Programs just on the outside, but with the support, facilities, and coaches to break through: Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, ISU & Lehigh.
Others that could threaten with the right administrative commitment:
UNC, UVA, OU, Illinois, NW, Duke, Wisconsin, Pitt, Stanford. Heck even a program like Princeton seems to be making moves. Its truly an exciting time for the sport.
NCST is a legit top ten/borderline top five program. Popolizio has done an incredible job building their program. VPI is a top 10 type program, that has sustained success even after losing their HC. UVA, UNC, and Duke all field competitive programs. Pitt "could" build a strong program considering their proximity to talent in two states, but I question their schools commitment to fielding championship level programs.
OTOH with The Big 12 you have a top 5 program in OSU, who will be back in a big way next season, and a scrappy ISU program that will threaten top ten status when Dresser gets things rolling. After that you have a major drop off. Yes you have plenty of great individual performers like Gross or Meredith, but their programs simply can not collect enough of these guys to sustain high level programs.
Going forward I see a top ten pecking order looking something like this:
1)PSU
2)tOSU
3)OSU
4)Iowa
5)Cornell
6)NCSU
7)Missouri
8)VPI
9)Michign
10)ASU
Programs just on the outside, but with the support, facilities, and coaches to break through: Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, ISU & Lehigh.
Others that could threaten with the right administrative commitment:
UNC, UVA, OU, Illinois, NW, Duke, Wisconsin, Pitt, Stanford. Heck even a program like Princeton seems to be making moves. Its truly an exciting time for the sport.
2017-18 NCAA Tournament Points:
B1G = 681.0
ACC = 196.5
B12 = 156.5
EIWA = 149.5
MAC = 98.5
PAC = 87.5
EWL = 48.0
Southern = 5.5
681 of 1423 = 48%
When Missouri left the Big 12 that conference got a lot weaker & the MAC got a lot stronger. Plus, Iowa St & Oklahoma were not as strong as usual this past season.
Oklahoma St also had a disappointing NCAA Tournament from a Big 12 perspective.
What more commitment do UNC, UVA, OU, Illinois, Wisc and Stanford need?
VT=VPI: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
There are VT grads who probably don't even know that (ok, maybe not, but it goes to show that branding/marketing despite a school's cumbersome formal name doesn't have to be a detriment to its public perception). Funny though, I've seen VT people's bios written in formal contexts where it actually says Virginia Tech University. Virginia Institute of Technology would be a better guess even though it's also wrong.
Among major universities or P5 schools, only Texas Tech is officially known as Texas Technological University, hence TTU as the acronym.
Whereas, it's relatively well known that Georgia Tech = Georgia Institute of Technology, though as far as i can tell they don't use GIT as an acronym even though it is accurate relative to the official name.
In our backyard, I personally think that NJIT is making a mistake not branding its intercollegiate athletics teams as NJ Tech, especially upon the recent climb from D3 up to D1, even if the acronym for the university overall (and its academics) is what it's already well recognized by. I could be wrong though, marketing is not my forte.
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Not just the south, pretty much anywhere in the country from my observations...just like VT. Yet the school names are substantially different.
Now, can't use NJT with the university in Newark because of the confusion with NJ Transit and their long standing use of NJT. Plus the third letter makes it a slightly different case anyway and therefore not as familiar of a convention among college athletics. But I think NJ Tech has possibilities...maybe. Even if it's longer in number of characters than NJIT. Would look better on athletes' uniforms too, IMO.
Now, can't use NJT with the university in Newark because of the confusion with NJ Transit and their long standing use of NJT. Plus the third letter makes it a slightly different case anyway and therefore not as familiar of a convention among college athletics. But I think NJ Tech has possibilities...maybe. Even if it's longer in number of characters than NJIT. Would look better on athletes' uniforms too, IMO.
Their mascot is a Tom turkey, and I believe they had a live Tom turkey as a mascot for a while.
The team name "Hokies" and the modern VPI Mascot "Hokie Bird" are both fairly new in the grand scheme of college football history. I believe they began using both in the 70's or 80's. Prior to these names, but sometimes still referenced by VPI People is the old moniker "Fighting Gobblers." Someone mentioned the school having a live turkey on the sideline, and amazingly they did at one point in time. Pretty neat piece of history.
Interesting off topic piece of history: The Wild Turkey was actually seriously considered as the National Bird and promoted as such by Ben Franklin. Of course the Bald Eagle was chosen.
True. I think it would have been pretty cool to have a huge Tom as our National Bird. Very unique looking animal. That said I wonder what effect if any it would have had on Thanksgiving Menus?
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