1. Buffalo went Division 1A in football even before UConn. I thought, my perception that is, is that they were more committed than you are letting on...Again that is only my perception.
2. I wasn't really comparing NY support of Buffalo to Connecticut's support of UConn (Though I can understand how you interpreted that way). I was saying that UConn is well supported by its state's Government and that the academic level is increasing, without any regard to Buffalo. Both are true. UConn 2000, 21st Century UConn, and Faculty 500 all point to this and that UConn is taking serious aim at AAU status. According to UConn's Wikipedia page, UConn is considered a Public Ivy, whatever that means. But according to USNWR, UConn ranks in the low 20's for public universities in the country, and in the low 60 for universities as a whole. Buffalo comes in at 51 and 106, respectively. I kind of take this with a grain of salt, given AAU status, but I think UConn's initiatives are properly prioritized.
Finally...make no mistake that the Big Ten is an athletic conference, first and foremost. While there is no doubt that some academic alliances and prestige have come out of the organization, the principle purpose was to make scheduling and travel between athletic programs easier in the pre-aviation age. To that end, athletics should always be considered.
