The Next Michigan is...

[UconNate]

Hi All,

To stay busy during the low season I've been playing around with a quasi-logical game to identify the next big time school. I'm trying to look at every factor, quantify it using a point system and evaluate our newest or next additions. I'm curious about what you think. What factors would you look for if you had to bet on the next big school? How would you weight them? Here are some thoughts:

Positives or just basic information

Flagship University
Undergrad population
State population (maybe state growth?)
Athletic Budget Overall
Athletic Budget Profit
Endowment size
Stadium size
Academic rank
TV Market - higher the better
Recruiting Area

Somewhat subjective categories:

History –
Proven success in other sports (established fan based)
Perceived reach (local or national)

Negatives

Competition within state – (especially if that school is from a larger league)
Athletic Deficit
Media Market under 100
Professional Team competing in Football within the same area
Shared stadium with NFL team (debatable as it leads to a ready made stadium but typically a lot of empty seats early)

For the purpose of the game I'm ignoring any school already in the BiG 10, SEC, Big 12, ACC, and PAC 12. I would only use UConn as a baseline...I know we all would pick UConn if we could.

Again, this is quasi logical, like most of the internet, so feel free to say, "Scarlet Knights sounds like the title to a bad film...there's no way they would make it" While I think the data may surprise us around certain teams I think the quasi logical argument makes it fun.

 

[Nostical]

For the purpose of the game I'm ignoring any school already in the BiG 10, SEC, Big 12, ACC, and PAC 12.

I'd say Notre Dame.

 

[UconNate]

Hahaha, I think we can call Notre Dame an exception to the rule.

Though, I might argue they've been going the wrong way for twenty years and twenty years from now are more likely to be BCU than Michigan.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Nobody outside those conferences will get to that level. Before the switch to the Pac 12, I would have said Utah has the best shot of the "other" conferences. I think Nevada and New Mexico are interesting and could improve a ton.

 

[SubbaBub]

It's one the directional Florida schools. Traditons aside, if a USF or UCF had the right facilities and the right coach, you could envision a run of success that would tip the recruiting balance for a generation.

None of the current Big 3 has a lifetime lock on FL like Mich, OSU, and PSU have in the Midwest. U of FLorida is the closest because of the SEC tie-in, but a couple of decades at the bottom would change that. They are not ND in that respect. The recruits would go elsewhere.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dann]

usf/ucf/uconn/umass/unr/unlv/ohio

 

[CL82]

Using your criteria, it's us. That leads me to believe your criteria may be influenced a bit by your rooting interest.

 

[UconNate]

That's entirely possible, CL82. I do think we're one of the better options, of course, but I'm open to other factors that may make other schools a better option. How you weight the factors is really going to be the difference. I would say Academic Prestige and undergraduate population are two categories that should be weighted differently.

BYU and the Academies are unique cases but I would say BYU probably takes it at this point. Teams like UMASS have an incredible upside looking only at the numbers and a school like SMU has almost enough money, over 1 billion in endowment, to start their own network.

Feel free to add categories and make suggestions regarding the most important categories. I'm no computer wizard or anything so all suggestions are helpful. I'd like to start looking at about one school a week until we have real football to talk about. I'd start with the NNBE and go out from there in no particular order. I may not accomplish much with this little project but at least you have the data on each school covered right at your fingertips.

 

[mavblues]

My wife told me it's not the size of your endowment that counts, it's how you use it.

 

[CL82]

My wife told me it's not the size of your endowment that counts, it's how you use it.

Yeah but did she mean it?

 

[The Funster]

I'm having a hard time buying into UMass. They have a hard time selling out the Mullins Center. Outside of a solid core, sports interest is largely apathetic. What makes everyone think that major football will take off and get the nedded support? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see UMass grow and punk BC but will it ever get the support it needs?