Some Surprises on Our Football Schedule

[Nostical]

The New Wall Street Journal College rankings are eye opening. The WSJ, not some promotional rag, ranked every college on a uniform list of criteria and the top five blue bloods were of course predictable.
Princeton 1
MIT 2
Yale 3
Stanford 4
Columbia 5

But now let’s look at the rankings of the schools on our football schedule. There were some surprises (to me).
Duke 16
FIU 29
BC 45
UConn 46
Rice 64
NC St 106
USF 151
JMU 152
UMass 190
Tenn 193
Sacred Heart 263
Utah St 293
Georgia State 369

Would any of you have predicted FIU being that high? UConn is in a great spot but I wonder how many folks out there—in media or otherwise—might have the same surprised reaction to us being where we are. How many think UConn and UMass would have been closer in the rankings? Say what you want, but I would have lumped FIU in with Utah St, Ga St. and JMU. Not any more.
Let’s beat them on the field but I have a new respect for that school. And that’s a good thing. Perceptions are important and anytime we can enhance UConn’s is another step forward.

 

[HCCForever]

The New Wall Street Journal College rankings are eye opening. The WSJ, not some promotional rag, ranked every college on a uniform list of criteria and the top five blue bloods were of course predictable.
Princeton 1
MIT 2
Yale 3
Stanford 4
Columbia 5

But now let’s look at the rankings of the schools on our football schedule. There were some surprises (to me).
Duke 16
FIU 29
BC 45
UConn 46
Rice 64
NC St 106
USF 151
JMU 152
UMass 190
Tenn 193
Sacred Heart 263
Utah St 293
Georgia State 369

Would any of you have predicted FIU being that high? UConn is in a great spot but I wonder how many folks out there—in media or otherwise—might have the same surprised reaction to us being where we are. How many think UConn and UMass would have been closer in the rankings? Say what you want, but I would have lumped FIU in with Utah St, Ga St. and JMU. Not any more.
Let’s beat them on the field but I have a new respect for that school. And that’s a good thing. Perceptions are important and anytime we can enhance UConn’s is another step forward.

I am very surprised that FIU is that high. I don't know much about the University.

I am also surprised that UConn is ranked higher than Rice. I know that Rice is a top private university and usually has a good baseball team. Their football team has improved this year as well as shown by beating Houston last week in OT. Let's beat both FIU and Rice on the field along with the rest on our schedule.

 

[Chin Diesel]

A few years ago my daughter and I visited FIU.

She was interested in nursing or some sort of marine biology major so we looked at several schools which offered both majors.

FIU was one of them. Interesting place. Massive student population, many of which were commuters due to imbalance of students and on campus housing. Plenty of apartment complexes across the street or easy walking distance from the campus.

The school really drives home its hub of the America's position and strives for Carribean and South America exposure. Really emphasized their International Business and International Law programs.

Two campuses. Main campus is in Doral area of Miami, somewhat near Miami Airport. They were building two high rise dorms while we visited and several other buildings were under construction or renovation.

They have a large satellite campus in Key Biscayne on the Intercoastal Waterway. That was a ridiculously gorgeous place to live and study.
I was very relieved when my daughter instantly hated the whole Miami metro area due to all the traffic amd commotion.

I can see how a school like FIU would score high on metrics for social mobility, low debt ratio and pay for graduates. They emphasize how many of their students are first generation and how much of the population comes from less affluent backgrounds and regions of the world.

All that being said, FIU is a fine institution but no where near as good as those rankings suggest.

 

[Nostical]

All that being said, FIU is a fine institution but no where near as good as those rankings suggest.

Careful with that kind of thinking Chin. There are lots of folks who would love to say the same thing about UConn (for starters, just about every BC grad). What those rankings suggest for FIU is a much more respected institution than conventional wisdom would have assumed. I would much rather be in FIU’s shoes lauding their higher than expected ranking of 29 than UMass having to explain away their rather dismal 190.

 

[RSTuthill]

The New Wall Street Journal College rankings are eye opening. The WSJ, not some promotional rag, ranked every college on a uniform list of criteria and the top five blue bloods were of course predictable.
Princeton 1
MIT 2
Yale 3
Stanford 4
Columbia 5

But now let’s look at the rankings of the schools on our football schedule. There were some surprises (to me).
Duke 16
FIU 29
BC 45
UConn 46
Rice 64
NC St 106
USF 151
JMU 152
UMass 190
Tenn 193
Sacred Heart 263
Utah St 293
Georgia State 369

Would any of you have predicted FIU being that high? UConn is in a great spot but I wonder how many folks out there—in media or otherwise—might have the same surprised reaction to us being where we are. How many think UConn and UMass would have been closer in the rankings? Say what you want, but I would have lumped FIU in with Utah St, Ga St. and JMU. Not any more.
Let’s beat them on the field but I have a new respect for that school. And that’s a good thing. Perceptions are important and anytime we can enhance UConn’s is another step forward.

Not surprised based on the people I know from there. Very high quality folks. Good STEM program I think.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Careful with that kind of thinking Chin. There are lots of folks who would love to say the same thing about UConn (for starters, just about every BC grad). What those rankings suggest for FIU is a much more respected institution than conventional wisdom would have assumed. I would much rather be in FIU’s shoes lauding their higher than expected ranking of 29 than UMass having to explain away their rather dismal 190.

My thinking is fine on it and I believe it's important to show how different criteria can radically change rankings. A school like FIU, which is a state school is going to have lower debt ratios due to lower tuition and plenty of in-state merit and need-based aid. You graduate and can live a nice middle income lifestyle.

Someone earlier mentioned Rice being lower than expected. It's a smaller, private school whose students are more likely to come from higher income backgrounds so there isn't much social mobility. You were good coming in and you'll live a nice life. The WSJ rankings are going to highlight many of these smaller, private schools with good reputations don't produce better outcomes (other than better networking) than state schools. And, within the state schools, regional state schools can produce better outcomes than the flagships.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Here's the top-20 overall.

This is the list of top 20 schools with points:

1. Princeton University (private), 91.6 points
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (private), 90.4 points.
3. Yale University (private), 90.3 points
4. Stanford University (private), 90.1 points
5. Columbia University (private), 89.7 points
6. Harvard University (private), 89.5 points
7. University of Pennsylvania (private), 89.4 points
8. Amherst College (private), 88.4 points.
9. Claremont McKenna College (private), 88.4 points
10. Babson College (private), 87.9 points
11. Swarthmore College (private), 85.9 points
12. Georgetown University (private), 84.6 points
13. Vanderbilt University (private), 84.3 points
14. Lehigh University (private), 84.3 points
15. University of Florida (public), 84.2 points
16. Duke University (private), 84.1 points
17. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (private), 84 points
18. California Institue of Technology (private), 83.8
19. New Jersey Institute of Technology (public), 83.5 points
20. Brigham Young University (private), 83.4 points

 

[CCSUblue]

Not surprised based on the people I know from there. Very high quality folks. Good STEM program I think.

I knew several engineers that matriculated through there from the Caribbean and Central America.

 

[BlueandOG]

I recently read a study about the return on investment for colleges. The conclusion was that the schools worth the investment were (I forget the order): Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, MIT, Notre Dame, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. The next best ROI is to graduate from your state's flagship university.

 

[McLovin]

46 is amazing considering it takes into account the Ivy’s and other top schools.

I believe UConn ranked 10th overall among public institutions, which is definitely something to celebrate!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I've had a number of relatives scattered throughout Florida for nearly five decades and I know a little about many of the schools there.

If the comparison (academics only) were solely with FAU, FIU is an ivy league school. It does offer quality academics but I don't see how it can be ahead of Rice. Rice is among the top five or so non-ivies (it belongs on a very short list with the likes of Duke, Emory and Stanford) and in all candor, is likely better than a couple ivies.

 

[Viet Vet]

I've had a number of relatives scattered throughout Florida for nearly five decades and I know a little about many of the schools there.

If the comparison (academics only) were solely with FAU, FIU is an ivy league school. It does offer quality academics but I don't see how it can be ahead of Rice. Rice is among the top five or so non-ivies (it belongs on a very short list with the likes of Duke, Emory and Stanford) and in all candor, is likely better than a couple ivies.

We have to be very careful when evaluating rankings. Some are based solely on academic prowess, some on graduates’ starting salaries, some on “campus environment”, some on graduate school placements.

FYI: I was accepted to an Ivy League school (Penn) and partied heartily until flunking out in the Spring of ‘69 (draft notice impending). So I enlisted, went through Artillery OCS, and served three years in the U.S. Army, including a year in Vietnam. After service I transferred to UConn, matured, married, and (thank you taxpayers) on the GI Bill. Graduated Summa Cum Laude. Was accepted, and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Does my experience (make no mistake, I loved the education I received at UConn) mean UConn is a “better” school than Penn?
No. It simply highlights that I was a better/disciplined/mature student after life-changing experiences.

 

[uconnyankee]

The New Wall Street Journal College rankings are eye opening. The WSJ, not some promotional rag, ranked every college on a uniform list of criteria and the top five blue bloods were of course predictable.
Princeton 1
MIT 2
Yale 3
Stanford 4
Columbia 5

But now let’s look at the rankings of the schools on our football schedule. There were some surprises (to me).
Duke 16
FIU 29
BC 45
UConn 46
Rice 64
NC St 106
USF 151
JMU 152
UMass 190
Tenn 193
Sacred Heart 263
Utah St 293
Georgia State 369

Would any of you have predicted FIU being that high? UConn is in a great spot but I wonder how many folks out there—in media or otherwise—might have the same surprised reaction to us being where we are. How many think UConn and UMass would have been closer in the rankings? Say what you want, but I would have lumped FIU in with Utah St, Ga St. and JMU. Not any more.
Let’s beat them on the field but I have a new respect for that school. And that’s a good thing. Perceptions are important and anytime we can enhance UConn’s is another step forward.

This isn’t an academic ranking. Its more of a ‘likelihood of success’ ranking. Not good or bad, but an academic snob will likely ignore this ranking list

 

[Chin Diesel]

This isn’t an academic ranking. Its more of a ‘likelihood of success’ ranking. Not good or bad, but an academic snob will likely ignore this ranking list

And those who care about using an education to advance their economic status are likely to laugh at those who laugh at this list.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I've had a number of relatives scattered throughout Florida for nearly five decades and I know a little about many of the schools there.

If the comparison (academics only) were solely with FAU, FIU is an ivy league school. It does offer quality academics but I don't see how it can be ahead of Rice. Rice is among the top five or so non-ivies (it belongs on a very short list with the likes of Duke, Emory and Stanford) and in all candor, is likely better than a couple ivies.

If diversity of student population, debt after graduation, and probability of advancing your economic status are criteria, FIU will rightfully stomp Rice.

 

[Nostical]

This isn’t an academic ranking. Its more of a ‘likelihood of success’ ranking.

I get it, but it doesn’t matter.
The rankings come from a well recognized and highly respected source (The WSJ). Had they come from The New York Post, different story.
Had the top five schools on the list been perceived as head scratching surprises, such as Brandeis, Northeastern, Wisconsin, Bucknell and Florida, UConn would have been a lot quieter about our 46 ranking. Those schools would have immediately called into question all of these rankings. But when this rankings list begins with the very schools normally associated with any list of “top schools” (Princeton, MIT, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Amherst) …, there’s an automatic credibility factor associated with the rest of the rankings.
So don’t apologize for our 46 being ranked above Rice—or feel you have to defend it. That’s where we sit on this scale. Will lower ranked schools try and rationalize their standing by criticizing the criteria, methodology and purpose of the WSJ rankings? Of course, but that’s what’s expected of them. Walk proudly UConn.

 

[Steve UConn72]

As the son of a West Point graduate, I'm wondering where, if at all, the military academies fit into this ranking. Or maybe they are considered unique in that their graduates have their immediate future already planed for them.

 

[BlueandOG]

As the son of a West Point graduate, I'm wondering where, if at all, the military academies fit into this ranking. Or maybe they are considered unique in that their graduates have their immediate future already planed for them.

The Army leads the way!

 

[uconnfan68]

I get it, but it doesn’t matter.
The rankings come from a well recognized and highly respected source (The WSJ). Had they come from The New York Post, different story.
Had the top five schools on the list been perceived as head scratching surprises, such as Brandeis, Northeastern, Wisconsin, Bucknell and Florida, UConn would have been a lot quieter about our 46 ranking. Those schools would have immediately called into question all of these rankings. But when this rankings list begins with the very schools normally associated with any list of “top schools” (Princeton, MIT, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Amherst) …, there’s an automatic credibility factor associated with the rest of the rankings.
So don’t apologize for our 46 being ranked above Rice—or feel you have to defend it. That’s where we sit on this scale. Will lower ranked schools try and rationalize their standing by criticizing the criteria, methodology and purpose of the WSJ rankings? Of course, but that’s what’s expected of them. Walk proudly UConn.

I rate the editorial board of the WSJ about equal to the NYPost. Both way too political, and much less common sense.

 

[ZooCougar]

I rate the editorial board of the WSJ about equal to the NYPost. Both way too political, and much less common sense.

Right, I agree. I wish they could be as political as the Times. Much more balanced.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

The New Wall Street Journal College rankings are eye opening. The WSJ, not some promotional rag, ranked every college on a uniform list of criteria and the top five blue bloods were of course predictable.
Princeton 1
MIT 2
Yale 3
Stanford 4
Columbia 5

But now let’s look at the rankings of the schools on our football schedule. There were some surprises (to me).
Duke 16
FIU 29
BC 45
UConn 46
Rice 64
NC St 106
USF 151
JMU 152
UMass 190
Tenn 193
Sacred Heart 263
Utah St 293
Georgia State 369

Would any of you have predicted FIU being that high? UConn is in a great spot but I wonder how many folks out there—in media or otherwise—might have the same surprised reaction to us being where we are. How many think UConn and UMass would have been closer in the rankings? Say what you want, but I would have lumped FIU in with Utah St, Ga St. and JMU. Not any more.
Let’s beat them on the field but I have a new respect for that school. And that’s a good thing. Perceptions are important and anytime we can enhance UConn’s is another step forward.

Thought Rice would have been closer to Duke. Some people think Rice is the best school in the country bar none.

 

[maple]

Would any of you have predicted FIU being that high?

Not me. Rated 32 spots higher than my alma mater!