New Rutgers AD faces crucial early decision on CVS

[pap49cba]

LINK

 

[jplotinus]

Rutgers' future is uncertain in more ways than CVS. They are going into a conference that is not a good fit for them, especially in football and men' bb. I think new AD has her work cut out for her.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Rutgers' future is uncertain in more ways than CVS. They are going into a conference that is not a good fit for them, especially in football and men' bb. I think new AD has her work cut out for her.

OK, I'll bite:

Rutgers Football (as viewed by program success) is clearly going to be near the bottom of the B1G. However, Rutgers has never had the opportunities for financial benefit from the football program that "should" provide resources and impetus for improvement. The Rutgers "now" is not the Rutgers of 10-15 years ago, and won't be the RU of 10-15 years from now. So how does this make the B1G "not a good fit".

Men's BB at RU hasn't been good in a very long time, but exactly how is the B1G worse (or better, for that matter) as a fit in Men's BB than the BE has been, which I would rate a much stronger conference over all on the Men's side.

While RU is facing a good many issues, including the need to improve the Olympic Sports (as we call everything but the big 3 at Rutgers), I don't see how the B1G is not a good fit. And on the academic side (the B1G being apparently one of only two conferences with strong academic fraternity), Rutgers is a very good fit. All except Northwestern (and the other Chicago school that is an academic member only) are large state institutions, no? Description certainly matches Rutgers to a T.

 

[jplotinus]

OK, I'll bite:

Rutgers Football (as viewed by program success) is clearly going to be near the bottom of the B1G. However, Rutgers has never had the opportunities for financial benefit from the football program that "should" provide resources and impetus for improvement. The Rutgers "now" is not the Rutgers of 10-15 years ago, and won't be the RU of 10-15 years from now. So how does this make the B1G "not a good fit".

Men's BB at RU hasn't been good in a very long time, but exactly how is the B1G worse (or better, for that matter) as a fit in Men's BB than the BE has been, which I would rate a much stronger conference over all on the Men's side.

While RU is facing a good many issues, including the need to improve the Olympic Sports (as we call everything but the big 3 at Rutgers), I don't see how the B1G is not a good fit. And on the academic side (the B1G being apparently one of only two conferences with strong academic fraternity), Rutgers is a very good fit. All except Northwestern (and the other Chicago school that is an academic member only) are large state institutions, no? Description certainly matches Rutgers to a T.

Well, once you set aside Rutger's football deficiency (including a stadium that is one of the smallest, if not smallest in the B1G), explain away BB mediocrity, and sugarcoat Olympic sport shortcomings, I'd have to say you might be right about Rutger's being a good fit.

 

[TRest]

I think of most of the B1G schools as being strong, or at least solid, in one of the two major sports. Rutgers really is average to poor at everything, so why expect new success by changing neighborhoods?

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think Eddie Jordan will do a good job at RU in time.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Well, once you set aside Rutger's football deficiency (including a stadium that is one of the smallest, if not smallest in the B1G), explain away BB mediocrity, and sugarcoat Olympic sport shortcomings, I'd have to say you might be right about Rutger's being a good fit.

Money - at the least - will fix a lot. I would rate the facilities at RU as very poor - the football facilities are the best, the RAC's only positive is it's size, and the Olympic facilities terrible.

Rutgers football is much improved. UConn football is 69-53, 27-35 BE for the last 10 years, RU a very similar 74-51, 33-33 BE, so if you condemn RU football then by definition you also condemn UConn football.

I don't explain away BB mediocrity - RU has failed at men's basketball since the mid 1970's. I would suggest that the hiring of Eddie Jordan may be a step in the right direction.

I don't sugar coat olympic sport shortcomings - although I can darn well explain them as, like almost everything at RU, a result of a significant lack of funding.

No one (except fools) expect RU to dominate the B1G in any sport in the immediate future. But belonging to a conference that will pay us enormous sums of money to compete - especially if those funds are then put back into athletics - will benefit both the athletic programs AND hopefully academics, which after all currently subsidized athletics.

 

[DaddyChoc]

how long has Rutgers been D1 in football... UConn is fairly new to D1

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

how long has Rutgers been D1 in football... UConn is fairly new to D1

For a very long while, so far as I know. Big East football since 1991, prior to that independent. But for many years one of the absolute worst programs in the entire country (Duke and RU were the butt of all football jokes). I once watched a game against Miami on TV where I couldn't figure out what sport was being played by the RU team, and the field was getting picked up into garbage bags while the game was going on. We had season tix one year and refused to renew. Then came Schiano, who substantially improved things.

I just don't see either RU or UConn as substantially better in football. Under Randy Edsell, UConn did extremely well for a new team to Division I; but UConn's only 2 greater accomplishments than RU is participation in a BCS game and (I think) a bigger stadium. RU has gone 5-2 in bowl games over the last 9 seasons; while not the best bowl games, they were the games that the BE had tie-ins with. Another thing that will improve - at least once RU improves against the tougher competition.

Where RU is the best fit for the B1G is in the overall make-up of the University both in terms of the academic side and also the athletic potential.

 

[DaddyChoc]

for some reason I always thought Rutgers was a powerhouse in football... dont know why, just did.

of course not like the 'canes etc but atleast up here in the Northeast

BTW did you see the 30 for 30 on the Miami Hurricanes of the late 80's early 90's? Good Stuff

 

[Fishy]

Rutgers isn't really a powerhouse in anything - changing conferences won't really change that.

The bank account will look better, but the on-field product will likely be more of the same.

 

[CL82]

OK, I'll bite:

Rutgers Football (as viewed by program success) is clearly going to be near the bottom of the B1G. However, Rutgers has never had the opportunities for financial benefit from the football program that "should" provide resources and impetus for improvement. The Rutgers "now" is not the Rutgers of 10-15 years ago, and won't be the RU of 10-15 years from now. So how does this make the B1G "not a good fit".

Men's BB at RU hasn't been good in a very long time, but exactly how is the B1G worse (or better, for that matter) as a fit in Men's BB than the BE has been, which I would rate a much stronger conference over all on the Men's side.

While RU is facing a good many issues, including the need to improve the Olympic Sports (as we call everything but the big 3 at Rutgers), I don't see how the B1G is not a good fit. And on the academic side (the B1G being apparently one of only two conferences with strong academic fraternity), Rutgers is a very good fit. All except Northwestern (and the other Chicago school that is an academic member only) are large state institutions, no? Description certainly matches Rutgers to a T.

I don't know if you are a good fit, but I know that your B1G conference affiliation is the best thing that has happened to RU for as long as I can remember. Congratulations on finding the golden ticket.