Rutgers President: "The Big 10 is really where Rutgers belongs."

[amory]

http://espn.go.com/newyork/conversations/_/id/8656660/rutgers-scarlet-knights-announce-move-big-ten

I mean this must actually be uncomfortable for them. They know they've contributed literally nothing for forever, so they've got to insist that's not the case as loudly as possible.

 

[TRest]

Never has so much been given to so many for doing so little.

 

[DogMania]

Never has so much been given to so many for doing so little.

Well put. Other than the women's basketball team, what has Rutgers ever accomplished? If you ask me the Big Ten are complete idiots to think that Rutgers, because of its proximity to New York, will draw that market. New Yorkers are not going to tune in to watch Rutgers get their ass kicked by Big Ten teams.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Well put. Other than the women's basketball team, what has Rutgers ever accomplished? If you ask me the Big Ten are complete idiots to think that Rutgers, because of its proximity to New York, will draw that market. New Yorkers are not going to tune in to watch Rutgers get their ass kicked by Big Ten teams.

They don't have to. They just need to get the big 10 network on the cable systems. That will generate millions and millions even if no one ever turns on a Rutgers game. It's really that simple.

 

[partial]

Exactly. Rutgers is in a convenient area and they fit the profile of a big ten school, the b10 doesn't need them to win anything because they have plenty of good teams.

 

[storrsbred1]

Never has so much been given to so many for doing so little.

Kind of like the USA these days.

 

[HooperScooper]

I'm still having a tough time comprehending how lucky Rutgers is to get saved by the Big Ten. What have they ever done to deserve an invite to the Big Ten? Just seems unfair. Yeah, I know the NYC TV market. Like anyone in the NY metro area gives a rat's arse about Rutgers athletics! Rutgers athletics is going to suck in the Big Ten.

 

[BeanTownBob]

If you watched the press conference you would realize that the president's comments had little to nothing to do with athletics. He harped on how Rutgers belonged there due to its academics, AAU membership, and the potential to be part of the CIC due to Rutgers' strong research programs.

I can't say im surprised by the move either. Rutgers is currently the most attractive football program in the BE based upon their success this season and recent success in bowl games (6 of the past 7 years with 5 straight wins). Also according to Nate Silver's article they are the most watch college football program in NYC, the B1G gets the millions of viewers in NJ, and this opens up the fertile recruiting ground of NJ to B1G schools even more.

 

[amory]

Is Rutgers a better school than Connecticut?

 

[jibsey]

Is Rutgers a better school than Connecticut?

Academically? I'd say no but the question should be do they have a better football program?

 

[amory]

Academically? I'd say no but the question should be do they have a better football program?

No im not even asking because of the Big 10 move, im just curious about their academics.

 

[CTBasketball]

No im not even asking because of the Big 10 move, im just curious about their academics.

Rutgers academics aren't as good as UConn's. I don't think these rankings do any justice.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandr...ges/rankings/national-universities/top-public

UConn- 21
Rutgers- 25
Louisville- 87
Cincinnati-70

 

[BeanTownBob]

Is Rutgers a better school than Connecticut?

According to US News they are relatively the same academically. Uconn at 63 and Rutgers at 68 for national universities. I actually don't put much stock in those rankings though as I received full rides from universities higher on the list while receiving little or nothing from lower ranked universities/colleges. However Rutgers is known as a very strong research university. Actually in the top 25 for public research institutions and Uconn comes in around the mid 40's I believe.

I know Rutgers actually has a strong national academic reputation as many people actually believe it is a private university. Also being from NJ I know that Rutgers took a hit in those US News rankings a while back when they decided to consolidate all of their "colleges" within the university into one large group.

 

[businesslawyer]

If you watched the press conference you would realize that the president's comments had little to nothing to do with athletics. He harped on how Rutgers belonged there due to its academics, AAU membership, and the potential to be part of the CIC due to Rutgers' strong research programs.

I can't say im surprised by the move either. Rutgers is currently the most attractive football program in the BE based upon their success this season and recent success in bowl games (6 of the past 7 years with 5 straight wins). Also according to Nate Silver's article they are the most watch college football program in NYC, the B1G gets the millions of viewers in NJ, and this opens up the fertile recruiting ground of NJ to B1G schools even more.

No. Both as to UConn and Rutgers this is something it is important that people understand. Silver did not say that Rutgers was the "most watch [sic] football program in NYC." And the ranking he gave CT was not based on that either. He said Rutgers was the most watched football program in the Metropolitan New York TV market, which includes about half or more of Jersey.

Those are two different things, and people are using the terms interchangeably. It absolutely effects the value of both RU and UConn to the rest of the country.

 

[Fishy]

Rutgers got off the sinking ship - they've said and done nothing wrong.

I'm happy for them.

The jealous sniping after the fact is pointless.

 

[HooperScooper]

Rutgers got off the sinking ship - they've said and done nothing wrong.

I'm happy for them.

The jealous sniping after the fact is pointless.

It's not jealous sniping. It's more, "Wtf just happened and why?" Just doesn't seem to make any logical sense.

 

[jibsey]

It's not jealous sniping. It's more, "Wtf just happened and why?" Just doesn't seem to make any logical sense.

no question, we wish it was us.

 

[Dann]

It's not jealous sniping. It's more, "Wtf just happened and why?" Just doesn't seem to make any logical sense.

jeff hathaway

 

[BeanTownBob]

No. Both as to UConn and Rutgers this is something it is important that people understand. Silver did not say that Rutgers was the "most watch [sic] football program in NYC." And the ranking he gave CT was not based on that either. He said Rutgers was the most watched football program in the Metropolitan New York TV market, which includes about half or more of Jersey.

Those are two different things, and people are using the terms interchangeably. It absolutely effects the value of both RU and UConn to the rest of the country.

You are right, the numbers were based on the NYC market. Rutgers held 20.6% of the market (college football fans) while UConn held 5.2%.

But I don't think "it absolutely effects the value of both RU and Uconn to the rest of the country." Connecticut's most populous county resides within the NYC TV market. The rest is within the Hartford market, but that is approx. 2.6 million people. The rest of NJ not in the NYC market (approx. 2.2 million people) falls within the much larger Philadelphia TV market.

The B1G did not just have its eyes on the NYC market but also the Philadelphia market. Those two combined in comparison to the Hartford tv market and it was a no brainier. They can then essentially have their channel on every TV set from Fairfield county to Washington DC.

 

[Fishy]

It absolutely makes sense - a no-brainer for the Big Ten and a disaster for the ACC.

Long term, Rutgers is worth more than Syracuse or Pitt.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[amory]

Rutgers got off the sinking ship - they've said and done nothing wrong.

I'm happy for them.

The jealous sniping after the fact is pointless.

Well, I've got no problem admitting I'm absolutely jealous, and probably a little bitter about the whole thing. A conference that was pretty awesome and everyone enjoyed died incredibly fast. I think it sucks that finding a good landing spot is based primarily on luck rather than accomplishments, but what can you do?

I don't wish the worst for Rutgers, any school in their position would have obviously done the same thing. Am I happy for them, and do I wish the best for them, though? Hell no, I don't really see why we should. They got a very fortunate break and they'd be fools not to take advantage of it. They don't need well wishes from anyone, least of all the ones who haven't gotten out yet.

 

[Fishy]

Unfortunately, that's the reality of it - getting out to date has almost entirely been based on where you are and not who you are.

UConn, as is our lot in life, has defied that once and might do it a second time.

We were in the 'right' location relative to Pittsburgh, but our neighbor to the north has itty bitty balls and did not want to compete, so we're relegated and Pitt was promoted. This go-around, we're in a far better location than Louisville and our academics are in an entirely different orbit.

Ordinarily, this is no contest. But now, everyone is screaming that the usual parameters should not apply and the selection should depend on the past ten weeks of college football. Hopefully, that's not the case.

 

[CL82]

BC was duplicitous in its exit as was Miami. They can rot. VT was fortunate. I bear them no ill will. Rutgers like VT was in the right place (in this case 40 miles from NYC) at the right time. I wish them well.

Regarding academics, we just recently passed Rutgers in the USNWR rankings, and I agree that those rankings aren't perfect but they are a commonly used reference point.

Here's the thing that does bug me, a little, by virtue of playing football near NYC, RU now gets Big 10 athletic money and access to the CIC. They are going to get a huge boost to both their athletics and their academics, particularly their research. Competing against them has just become much more difficult.

 

[partial]

No im not even asking because of the Big 10 move, im just curious about their academics.

I would say yes. Not in the sense that any undergraduate is going to get a better education or a more valuable degree at rutgers than at uconn, but in level of original research/faculty prestige. I don't know all the facts but i know that for example the physics department at rutgers is at least top 20 nationally and UConn isn't that close. These things are highly dependent on funding and Rutgers I believe has had much more resources to spend on making their university a good research university.

 

[willie99]

RU just won the lottery

they bring nothing about anything anywhere, and they don't even bring NYC

the B10 could not have thought that football was the difference maker either, they don't need RU football

not sure what's under the surface though. AAU? NJ market? relationships?

maybe some people don't want to visit Storrs or Hartford, IDK