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OT: The official ACC all things thread

They needed ESPN's help launching the ACC network and likely thought their own network was the wave of the future.
That was another epic boondoggle from the jump

Late to the game, delays, terrible set up, field hockey and lacrosse taking precedent over football, etc

The list goes on and on with these clowns
 
Binghamton makes up its rankings. Simply go to the university's homepage which boasts Binghamton is, "the best public university in the Northeast."

As with the "#1 public in New York" statement you found, Binghamton doesn't provide a source for its assertions. The reason is they make up their own ratings out of thin air.

Here are rankings from a widely watched source.

US News & World Report 2024 college rankings

University - National Rank, Public Rank

Rutgers University New Brunswick - 40, 15
Stony Brook University - 54, 26
University at Binghamton 73, 34

Rutgers is transparent about its UNWR rankings because the Rutgers is improving in these rankings. Note the annual change in rankings is due more to changes in methodology than changes in the schools.
 
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Not really on topic, but I will be sad if the ACC dies. I started watching when there were seven teams (South Carolina had left, a few years prior to Georgia Tech's arrival). There'll never be an event as exciting and nerve-wracking as the ACC basketball tournament back in the days when there were always a bunch of nationally elite teams competing for a single NCAA berth. Football was fun, too.

Things have changed, and I don't resent or regret my team's departure (they weren't exactly a league favorite), but I will always be an ACC dude in my heart...
 
Binghamton makes up its rankings. Simply go to the university's homepage which boasts Binghamton is, "the best public university in the Northeast."

As with the "#1 public in New York" statement you found, Binghamton doesn't provide a source for its assertions. The reason is they make up their own ratings out of thin air.

Here are rankings from a widely watched source.

US News & World Report 2024 college rankings

University - National Rank, Public Rank

Rutgers University New Brunswick - 40, 15
Stony Brook University - 54, 26
University at Binghamton 73, 34

Rutgers is transparent about its UNWR rankings because the Rutgers is improving in these rankings. Note the annual change in rankings is due more to changes in methodology than changes in the schools.
No one in the higher education world, even at the schools highly rated, takes the U.S. News rankings seriously. The change in methodology is revealing: it's all politics, in this case to satisfy those who prize "diversity" highly. People I know who have attended Binghamton have good things to say about it. Its main problem is that it's, well, in Binghamton, a not especially desirable area with no political clout. That said, I agree it's amusing for Binghamton to declare itself #1, as you say, out of thin air.
 
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At the end of the day, this is a prime example of bad things that can happen when an imcomponent administration is in charge

FSU wouldn’t be in this predicament if those in charge at the time had the least bit of foresight and knowledge of college athletics, contracts, tv deals, etc

On the contrary, to this day, I’m so grateful for Tim Pernitti, bc without him, we (Rutgers) not be in the B1G

He was so instrumental in the whole process and does not get nearly enough credit for what he did
Not sure about that. Rutgers is in because of the #1 media market and the B1G network revenues thru the cable companies, plus a 50k seat stadium which TP had nothing to do with either.

Not saying TP was a lousy AD. Far from it. But he got dealt a full house king high.
 
Not really on topic, but I will be sad if the ACC dies. I started watching when there were seven teams (South Carolina had left, a few years prior to Georgia Tech's arrival). There'll never be an event as exciting and nerve-wracking as the ACC basketball tournament back in the days when there were always a bunch of nationally elite teams competing for a single NCAA berth. Football was fun, too.

Things have changed, and I don't resent or regret my team's departure (they weren't exactly a league favorite), but I will always be an ACC dude in my heart...
It used to be a great conference.

Swofford and his merry band of goons ruined everything, along with the corrupt North Carolina tobacco Road syndicate.
 
Not sure about that. Rutgers is in because of the #1 media market and the B1G network revenues thru the cable companies, plus a 50k seat stadium which TP had nothing to do with either.

Not saying TP was a lousy AD. Far from it. But he got dealt a full house king high.
That’s fair

I think to your point, we would eventually gotten in due to aforementioned advantages we added to the conference

TO Definitely spearheaded it, though, and with his leadership and vision to assure it would happen when it did
 
First thing the B1G Commissioner said at the opening of B1G media day was to welcome the 4 new members who are all members of the AAU.
The U and imitation Irish gained AAU status last year.
FSU & Clemson have not, but with Nebraska a non AAU University , but a B1G member , AAU status might not make FSU a non qualifier if/when the B1G decides to add members.

This might be the way non AAU membership isn't considered a stumbling block to B1G membership >
Florida State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #53.
 
The U and imitation Irish gained AAU status last year.
FSU & Clemson have not, but with Nebraska a non AAU University , but a B1G member , AAU status might not make FSU a non qualifier if/when the B1G decides to add members.

This might be the way non AAU membership isn't considered a stumbling block to B1G membership >
Florida State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #53.
Nebraska was a member of AAU when they were admitted, to date EVERY school admitted was a member of the AAU & it is doubtful that University Presidents will want that to change
 
Nebraska was a member of AAU when they were admitted, to date EVERY school admitted was a member of the AAU & it is doubtful that University Presidents will want that to change
Please defend this statement. It is laughably false. If you cannot defend your assertion, state so.

The following B1G schools, comprising the majority of the conference, joined the B1G before they were AAU members:

Illinois
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Michigan
Indiana
Iowa
Ohio State
Michigan State
Notre Dame *
* B1G affiliate member

I don’t understand why AAU matters. Who cares if a university one is applying to is an AAU member. It is not well known like the Ivy League.

Did Gavin G realize by transferring to Nebraska he was leaving the AAU? Of course not. Did Zack know transferring from Princeton to Rutgers meant he was leaving the Ivy League? Yes. Did Zac choose Rutgers over non-AAU schools because of AAU status

Maybe 100 years ago AAU mattered because the organization was formed to accredit American and Canadian colleges so their students qualify for admission to European academic programs.

Seems like more of a bureaucratic gatekeeper that exists to prolong its existence and be invoked every few years by university presidents
 
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Please defend this statement. It is laughably false. If you cannot defend your assertion, state so.

The following B1G schools, comprising the majority of the conference, joined the B1G before they were AAU members:

Illinois
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Michigan
Indiana
Iowa
Ohio State
Michigan State
Notre Dame *
* B1G affiliate member

I don’t understand why AAU matters. Who cares if a university one is applying to is an AAU member. It is not well known like the Ivy League.

Did Gavin G realize by transferring to Nebraska he was leaving the AAU? Of course not. Did Zack know transferring from Princeton to Rutgers meant he was leaving the Ivy League? Yes. Did Zac choose Rutgers over non-AAU schools because of AAU status

Maybe 100 years ago AAU mattered because the organization was formed to accredit American and Canadian colleges so their students qualify for admission to European academic programs.

Seems like more of a bureaucratic gatekeeper that exists to prolong its existence and be invoked every few years by university presidents

It’s still a metric representative of academic status in larger universities which is the central culture of what the BIG was founded on. Listen to Schiano’s presser. Academics are still prioritized in the BIG. They may be secondary to sport and NIL but graduating players and guiding them along the right academic path is still prioritized as part of the college experience. The AAU status is symbolic of this objective - its not “nothing”.
It’s true - there are plenty of excellent colleges that do not have the distinction, but all of the schools that do have AAU distinction meet a certain minimum academic standard. That differentiates the BIG (sans Nebraska) from many other conferences.
 
I read a quote from and Warren and heard a quote from Petitti saying AAU was not required.

I bet ND would have been admitted 4 years ago when they were not AAU. And maybe the comments above were specific to ND (although Petitti comment came after ND got AAU)

Michigan St was not AAU when they were admitted - AAU came 10 years later..... but that was 70 years ago.
 
FSU and UGA in all honesty should be next on the list of AAU schools. I think Georgetown may get in on the next vote as well.
I just realized that Notre Dame is the *only* Catholic institution in the AAU. That doesn't mean they're bad -- not at all! -- just that they don't fit the AAU's profile of institutions that emphasize research.
 
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It’s still a metric representative of academic status in larger universities which is the central culture of what the BIG was founded on. Listen to Schiano’s presser. Academics are still prioritized in the BIG. They may be secondary to sport and NIL but graduating players and guiding them along the right academic path is still prioritized as part of the college experience. The AAU status is symbolic of this objective - its not “nothing”.
It’s true - there are plenty of excellent colleges that do not have the distinction, but all of the schools that do have AAU distinction meet a certain minimum academic standard. That differentiates the BIG (sans Nebraska) from many other conferences.
When straight questions cannot be answered, problems are exposed. AAU membership is meaningless, nobody cares.

Another status brought up is APR, or annual progress rate. This is an NCAA measure. College sportspeople advance to earn meaningful diplomas to get forward in life, say NCAA ranking scores. Rutgers is below average in the B1G. According to the NCAA data, not only are UNLV football players better than Rutgers ballplayers, the UNLV student-athletes are better than Princeton on getting useful degrees.

If UNLV student-athletes are smarter than Princeton's, immediately put UNLV on AAU status then admit the university into the B1G. Or else, the Ivy League will invite UNLV.
 
When straight questions cannot be answered, problems are exposed. AAU membership is meaningless, nobody cares.

Another status brought up is APR, or annual progress rate. This is an NCAA measure. College sportspeople advance to earn meaningful diplomas to get forward in life, say NCAA ranking scores. Rutgers is below average in the B1G. According to the NCAA data, not only are UNLV football players better than Rutgers ballplayers, the UNLV student-athletes are better than Princeton on getting useful degrees.

If UNLV student-athletes are smarter than Princeton's, immediately put UNLV on AAU status then admit the university into the B1G. Or else, the Ivy League will invite UNLV.
I was startled by your statement that "Rutgers is below average in the B1G" in APR. It's true, although not by much. Rutgers tied for eighth (with Purdue) with a 974 APR as compared to a B1G average of 976.79. UNLV is 981, third best in the Mountain West. (BTW, Rutgers is tied for ninth when the four new Pacific Coast schools are added in.)

It's clear that the B1G cares about AAU membership. But whether it should care as much as it does is another question.

https://collegefootballnews.com/ran...8e7b000252d&pid=2023-independent-apr-rankings
 
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When straight questions cannot be answered, problems are exposed. AAU membership is meaningless, nobody cares.

Another status brought up is APR, or annual progress rate. This is an NCAA measure. College sportspeople advance to earn meaningful diplomas to get forward in life, say NCAA ranking scores. Rutgers is below average in the B1G. According to the NCAA data, not only are UNLV football players better than Rutgers ballplayers, the UNLV student-athletes are better than Princeton on getting useful degrees.

If UNLV student-athletes are smarter than Princeton's, immediately put UNLV on AAU status then admit the university into the B1G. Or else, the Ivy League will invite UNLV.

The B1G cares about AAU even if you don’t. It is also something other universities aspire to.
 
The B1G cares about AAU even if you don’t. It is also something other universities aspire to.
Just to confirm that: my understanding is that Ed Bloustein, then Rutgers President (this is back in the 1980s) pressed vigorously for Rutgers to be admitted. We were admitted not long before he died suddenly at the end of 1989 at age 64.
 
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We should remember that while football success comes and goes, academic reputations are a constant aspiration for most universities. The Big Ten has an academic alliance that is both strong and significant. Institutions in the conference want to be among peers where they can form academic partnerships and have access to resources at other universities in the alliance. The Big Ten academic brand is just as important as its athletics brand. TV money, NIL, and other issues can distract us from this issue, but Big Ten universities still pride themselves in being part of "something more." That's why I always wanted Rutgers to join the Big Ten, and that's why it was a big deal when it happened.
 
Just to confirm that: my understanding is that Ed Bloustein, then Rutgers President (this is back in the 1980s) pressed vigorously for Rutgers to be admitted. We were admitted not long before he died suddenly at the end of 1989 at age 64.
Yes, this was one of Bloustein's major goals - to get Rutgers admitted to the AAU. Bloustein understood the significance of membership and what it would mean for our reputation.
 
We should remember that while football success comes and goes, academic reputations are a constant aspiration for most universities. The Big Ten has an academic alliance that is both strong and significant. Institutions in the conference want to be among peers where they can form academic partnerships and have access to resources at other universities in the alliance. The Big Ten academic brand is just as important as its athletics brand. TV money, NIL, and other issues can distract us from this issue, but Big Ten universities still pride themselves in being part of "something more." That's why I always wanted Rutgers to join the Big Ten, and that's why it was a big deal when it happened.
You weren't the only one. Even when Rutgers was in the Big East, our leadership was hoping to find a way to get into the Big Ten. I know I say this over and over, but it could never have happened had not Greg Schiano made the football program respectable.
 
I was startled by your statement that "Rutgers is below average in the B1G" in APR. It's true, although not by much. Rutgers tied for eighth (with Purdue) with a 974 APR as compared to a B1G average of 976.79. UNLV is 981, third best in the Mountain West. (BTW, Rutgers is still eighth when UCLA and USC are added in.)

It's clear that the B1G cares about AAU membership. But whether it should care as much as it does is another question.

https://collegefootballnews.com/ran...8e7b000252d&pid=2023-independent-apr-rankings
The Rutgers sports with the lowest APR are men's track and (drumroll, please) women's basketball. In fairness, though, the biggest determinant of our score is football (972) because of the number of athletes involved. https://web3.ncaa.org/aprsearch/aprsearch
 
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I don't recall how the APR formula handles transfers, but there has been so much coming and going w women's basketball, it's not a surprise to see a low APR for that team. Let's hope that improves along with hopefully improved results on the court.
 
The Rutgers sports with the lowest APR are men's track and (drumroll, please) women's basketball. In fairness, though, the biggest determinant of our score is football (972) because of the number of athletes involved. https://web3.ncaa.org/aprsearch/aprsearch
I don’t know what changed but Schiano’s first stint here we were top 5, one year we were #1 in the country.
We were by far the best public school in the country for APR ( for football).
Even when we played wake in the Jacksonville it was due to our APR.
 
I don't recall how the APR formula handles transfers, but there has been so much coming and going w women's basketball, it's not a surprise to see a low APR for that team. Let's hope that improves along with hopefully improved results on the court.
I'm not going to pretend to understand the linked document, but it looks like an institution generally does not lose APR credit when an athlete transfers out. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/Misc_Commit...r Adjustment Question and Answer Document.pdf
 
We should remember that while football success comes and goes, academic reputations are a constant aspiration for most universities. The Big Ten has an academic alliance that is both strong and significant. Institutions in the conference want to be among peers where they can form academic partnerships and have access to resources at other universities in the alliance. The Big Ten academic brand is just as important as its athletics brand. TV money, NIL, and other issues can distract us from this issue, but Big Ten universities still pride themselves in being part of "something more." That's why I always wanted Rutgers to join the Big Ten, and that's why it was a big deal when it happened.

This. I’ll add that while common perception is that the academic component of college athletics has become a “big joke”, choosing the collegiate vs. pure pro path still involves a commitment to meet certain education requirements. There are those who think this rule should change - but in my view that would be a travesty that would completely disconnect the players on the team from the so called representative schools. There is nothing wrong or hypocrital with the messaging that - hey, as a ball player - sport is your top priority. We’re paying you NIL to represent us, but by being here as a representative of our school your also working towards earning a degree from us just like our other students. There’s always a place for that as a back up plan - things happen - injuries and such. Not every kid will stick around to complete all the academic requirements for a degree but they all have to meet minimum standards while they are part of the schools they are representing. So long as that part of the system remains - there’s value in a conference only admitted schools that maintain certain standards in academics.
 
The Rutgers sports with the lowest APR are men's track and (drumroll, please) women's basketball. In fairness, though, the biggest determinant of our score is football (972) because of the number of athletes involved. https://web3.ncaa.org/aprsearch/aprsearch

Women’s basketball scored a 954 APR. Coquese pocketed a $10,000 bonus because the APR hurdle in her contract is 950.

If Coquese can’t find basketball players for her scholarships, she should give the ‘ships to a few brainiacs in order to boost her team’s APR.
 
I don’t know what changed but Schiano’s first stint here we were top 5, one year we were #1 in the country.
We were by far the best public school in the country for APR ( for football).
Even when we played wake in the Jacksonville it was due to our APR.
In 2008-2009, Rutgers football was #1 public in APR with a 992. Only Penn was higher at 996. Hard to believe but that year, according to the NCAA’s methodology, Rutgers football players went 7-1 versus Ivy League schools in the classroom.

#2 public was USAFA.
 
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The B1G cares about AAU even if you don’t. It is also something other universities aspire to.
Of course they do. But it is not a requirement, nor is it a top consideration (no higher than 3rd on their list). As much as B1G Presidents and decision makers like AAU and academics, they like $$$$ even more. I am not saying the B1G will let in mediocre academic schools, but it is a non-issue with FSU and they will likely have AAU status within the next year'ish - by which time they will be out of the ACC and on their way to the B1G.
 
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Of course they do. But it is not a requirement, nor is it a top consideration (no higher than 3rd on their list). As much as B1G Presidents and decision makers like AAU and academics, they like $$$$ even more. I am not saying the B1G will let in mediocre academic schools, but it is a non-issue with FSU and they will likely have AAU status within the next year'ish - by which time they will be out of the ACC and on their way to the B1G.

I was just responding to Koko who mistakenly assumed no one cares about AAU designation. That’s patently false.
 
Of course they do. But it is not a requirement, nor is it a top consideration (no higher than 3rd on their list). As much as B1G Presidents and decision makers like AAU and academics, they like $$$$ even more. I am not saying the B1G will let in mediocre academic schools, but it is a non-issue with FSU and they will likely have AAU status within the next year'ish - by which time they will be out of the ACC and on their way to the B1G.
Are you still hearing the same information or have plans changed?
 
Are you still hearing the same information or have plans changed?
From what I have heard, FSU is still very likely to the B1G. It just won't be announced by 8/15, meaning FSU will play another season in the ACC. In thr meantime, the process will continue to play out in the courts, with a settlement being the likely outcome. Once unemcumbered, FSU to the B1G will happen. FSU makes much more sense to the B1G than SEC for a lot of reasons. Clemson is on a longer timeline, and nothing going on between the B1G and any other ACC schools. The Big 12 PE talk is all driven by the Big 12 and has little substance behind it. If the ACC falls apart, the Big 12 (and others) would target ACC schools. But no one is leaving for a spot in the Big 12 until they know the P2 isn't an option for them. The Big 12 is not a destination, but rather where you end up when your other options dry up. FSU and Clemson are not doing all this to join the Big 12 or stay in the ACC longer term.
 
Women’s basketball scored a 954 APR. Coquese pocketed a $10,000 bonus because the APR hurdle in her contract is 950.

If Coquese can’t find basketball players for her scholarships, she should give the ‘ships to a few brainiacs in order to boost her team’s APR.

It's weird to give her a bonus at 950 , because the women's basketball's APR was in the 960s or above for every season from 2011 on. The team actually had 1000 for two years and 990 for another. https://web3.ncaa.org/aprsearch/aprsearch
 
From what I have heard, FSU is still very likely to the B1G. It just won't be announced by 8/15, meaning FSU will play another season in the ACC. In thr meantime, the process will continue to play out in the courts, with a settlement being the likely outcome. Once unemcumbered, FSU to the B1G will happen. FSU makes much more sense to the B1G than SEC for a lot of reasons. Clemson is on a longer timeline, and nothing going on between the B1G and any other ACC schools. The Big 12 PE talk is all driven by the Big 12 and has little substance behind it. If the ACC falls apart, the Big 12 (and others) would target ACC schools. But no one is leaving for a spot in the Big 12 until they know the P2 isn't an option for them. The Big 12 is not a destination, but rather where you end up when your other options dry up. FSU and Clemson are not doing all this to join the Big 12 or stay in the ACC longer term.
Thank you
 
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It's weird to give her a bonus at 950 , because the women's basketball's APR was in the 960s or above for every season from 2011 on. The team actually had 1000 for two years and 990 for another. https://web3.ncaa.org/aprsearch/aprsearch
Not sure but that bonus might because of the amount of players transferring out when CVS took her LOA and Eatman took over is an interim and more left before Quese took the position might have made keeping a passing APR hard to do , so bonus promised if she could .
Or just just a easy way to pay Washington more so her base salary looked lower

Back to getting out of Tobacco road:
Texas and Oklahoma had to give up around $100 million to leave the Big 12 one year early and FSU has over 10 to go before they could leave without penalty.
That's why I feel the ACC has the upper hand and the talk of airing out ACC dirty laundry is just a threat that won't mean a thing to the ACC because if they allow FSU to leave without paying a premium price , going joining the B1G/SEC, the other top programs will start looking to see if they are B1G/SEC material and if given a chance leave ASAP for a B1G/SEC spot
 
Just so everybody knows: the results of pre-trial discovery (depositions and interrogatories) are not necessarily public. Usually each side has some dirty laundry or wants to conceal trade secrets and so often both sides enter into a confidentiality agreement. So the prospect that dirty laundry will be revealed may not have much effect on the AC.

Really there are two questions here. First, was the GOR a valid contract when entered into? -- that is, was there fraud in getting FSU to agree or a lack of consideration for FSU's promises (that is, was it not given or promised anything in return?) Second, assuming the GOR was a valid contract, has something happened since that excuses FSU from performance? The usual excuse is material breach by the other party of the terms of the contract, but there can be others. We'll see if FSU succeeds on either ground. I continue to think that the ACC will not settle so long as it thinks it has a reasonable chance to win; that's because letting FSU out means letting other schools out which in turn means the destruction of the conference. So I think it is overly optimistic to believe that FSU will get out any time soon.

Of course, there's also the question of whether the SEC or B1G would take Florida State once free of the GOR; but that's not a legal question. I'm sure FSU believes it has good grounds for thinking that one or the other would take it or else FSU would not be trying to break the GOR
 
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Just so everybody knows: the results of pre-trial discovery (depositions and interrogatories) are not necessarily public. Usually each side has some dirty laundry or wants to conceal trade secrets and so often both sides enter into a confidentiality agreement. So the prospect that dirty laundry will be revealed may not have much effect on the AC.

Really there are two questions here. First, was the GOR a valid contract when entered into? -- that is, was there fraud in getting FSU to agree or a lack of consideration for FSU's promises (that is, was it not given or promised anything in return?) Second, assuming the GOR was a valid contract, has something happened since that excuses FSU from performance? The usual excuse is material breach by the other party of the terms of the contract, but there can be others. We'll see if FSU succeeds on either ground. I continue to think that the ACC will not settle so long as it thinks it has a reasonable chance to win; that's because letting FSU out means letting other schools out which in turn means the destruction of the conference. So I think it is overly optimistic to believe that FSU will get out any time soon.

Of course, there's also the question of whether the SEC or B1G would take Florida State once free of the GOR; but that's not a legal question. I'm sure FSU believes it has good grounds for thinking that one or the other would take it or else FSU would not be trying to break the GOR
It’s going to go the settlement route and there’s been assurances from at least the B1G of admission once GOR is settled

Reasons for thinking, they can get out of the GOR ranch from the ACC, not holding up their end of the deal, blatantly, breaking bylaws, and acting things without members votes, exposing all their dirty laundry, as well as ESPN not extending past 2027
 
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