Big Ten not worried about Big National Title Drought

[jostar1]

1. The Big Ten has taken the “best league in the country” championship in recent seasons. It’s a force that regularly sends six or more teams to the Big Dance every year. But the conference hasn’t won a national title since Michigan State seized the crown in 2000. Big Ten football has experienced a similar drought (Ohio State’s 2002 championship was the league’s last national title in that sport). But commissioner Jim Delany said he doesn’t think that mark is a fair measurement of the league’s achievements. “When I was at North Carolina, we lost in three Final Fours three years in a row,” Delany said. “We couldn't win the big one. But the reality is there are a lot of ways to measure success. This is college basketball, so check us first on who we recruit, the kind of people we have, how they move through the system. Check out our winning, check out our attendance for 38 years in a row. We've had five years of consecutive attendance growth -- that's pretty remarkable.”
   http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/100401/five-takeaways-big-ten-media-day

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Seriously, could it be any clearer? He's all but announcing our membership.

 

[uchusky32]

Delaney "check out our dollars. Lots of zeros"
Then he starts rapping "cash rules everythang around me, CREAM, it's da money, dollar dollar bill y'all"

 

[CL82]

1. The Big Ten has taken the “best league in the country” championship in recent seasons. It’s a force that regularly sends six or more teams to the Big Dance every year. But the conference hasn’t won a national title since Michigan State seized the crown in 2000. Big Ten football has experienced a similar drought (Ohio State’s 2002 championship was the league’s last national title in that sport). But commissioner Jim Delany said he doesn’t think that mark is a fair measurement of the league’s achievements. “When I was at North Carolina, we lost in three Final Fours three years in a row,” Delany said. “We couldn't win the big one. But the reality is there are a lot of ways to measure success. This is college basketball, so check us first on who we recruit, the kind of people we have, how they move through the system. Check out our winning, check out our attendance for 38 years in a row. We've had five years of consecutive attendance growth -- that's pretty remarkable.”
   http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/100401/five-takeaways-big-ten-media-day

Me thinks you doth protest too much, Jim.

 

[jostar1]

Also from the Big 10 Media Day:

"Though its hardly a natural fit geographically, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany told reporters Thursday that he believes the additions make sense. If you look at Rutgers and Maryland, the kind of institutions they are, they fit, Delany said. We talk the same language. It's high graduation, it's great research, it's comprehensive education.

I believe that in all sports but in particular in football and basketball, because of the great students in that corridor, because of the great high schools in that corridor, we're going to get our fair share of athletes. They're going to get them, our [other] schools are going to get them".

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/16/terrapins-excited-for-fresh-start-in-big-ten/

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Big 10 is champ where it counts the most every single year.

 

[Adios]

Also from the Big 10 Media Day:

"Though its hardly a natural fit geographically, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany told reporters Thursday that he believes the additions make sense. If you look at Rutgers and Maryland, the kind of institutions they are, they fit, Delany said. We talk the same language. It's high graduation, it's great research, it's comprehensive education.

I believe that in all sports but in particular in football and basketball, because of the great students in that corridor, because of the great high schools in that corridor, we're going to get our fair share of athletes. They're going to get them, our [other] schools are going to get them".

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/16/terrapins-excited-for-fresh-start-in-big-ten/

We're definitely going to the B1G.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The SEC is laughing right now. That said, except for Vandy, Georgia, Florida, and A&M, most of the SEC is comprised of very large community colleges that generate tens of millions of dollars off of the backs of indentured servants who play a very dangerous sport.

 

[Dooley]

 

[Sea Goat]

Also from the Big 10 Media Day:

"Though its hardly a natural fit geographically, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany told reporters Thursday that he believes the additions make sense. If you look at Rutgers and Maryland, the kind of institutions they are, they fit, Delany said. We talk the same language. It's high graduation, it's great research, it's comprehensive education.

I believe that in all sports but in particular in football and basketball, because of the great students in that corridor, because of the great high schools in that corridor, we're going to get our fair share of athletes. They're going to get them, our [other] schools are going to get them".

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/16/terrapins-excited-for-fresh-start-in-big-ten/

Telling reference to graduation rate and comprehensive education etc. - The B1G would never add Louisville while the ACC embraced them for short term gain. See Louisville's educational stats below:

Retention and Graduation Rates:

• First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 78%
• 4-Year Graduation Rate: 25%
• 6-Year Graduation Rate: 53%

• 
  But they're in the ACC rubbing shoulders with Duke, UNC, UVA, Miami, BC etc. Way to go Swofford.

 

[Kolumbo]

what other program brings football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and Susan Herbst!

 

[stephen Henry]

The lack of worry by Delany about the B1G national title drought goes a long way to explaining why the B1G has one. It almost seems that the reason that they are not worried is simply because they are able to make lots of money from BTN programming even if the quality of the content they are providing in inferior. Who doesn't want to pay for the opportunity Illinois play Indiana in football? Championships become less worisome if they don't affect your bottom line. After a while the lack of championships become just an inconvenient irritant on the road to higher profits.

Oddly, over the last 20 years UConn has probably won more championships just in is Men's and Women's basketball than the entire B1G conference has won in revenue generating sports over the same period of time.

 

[Calamitous]

The SEC is laughing right now. That said, except for Vandy, Georgia, Florida, and A&M, most of the SEC is comprised of very large community colleges that generate tens of millions of dollars off of the backs of indentured servants who play a very dangerous sport.

Alabama and Missouri aren't bad schools either. I realize many SEC schools fall outside of top 100 rankings in several publications, but they aren't horrible schools or large "community colleges." The reason many assume these are horrible schools is that they are land grant schools (LSU, Ark, MSU, UT, UK, Auburn and USC-e) that still hold true to the land grant mission allowing equal opportunity for admission to their state's students. The other reason may be the stereotype that people from the south aren't very sharp. I technically live in the mid Atlantic (some say south) and many northern transplants are presumptuous in their assumption on northern versus southern intellect.

Some other land grant schools similarly ranked to/right on par with SEC schools are Maine, Rhode Island, WVU, NDSU, SDSU, KSU, Oklahoma State, NMSU, Colorado State, Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, Nevada-Reno, Montana State, Idaho, Oregon State, Washington State, Hawaii and Alaska-Fairbanks. Other than the knocks I hear against WVU, I rarely (if ever) hear people knocking these other schools.

Most of the highly ranked land grant universities are in the B1G, in the mid Atlantic/Northeast, Texas and California. Most of the land grants located in states that are much wealthier and more populated compared the ones in the SEC and others I listed above... Clemson being the exception to this rule. Basically, if you have the population and the money, you probably have a higher ranked school.

Besides, I'm sure many classified my alma mater as a large community college way back when I was there. In the good old days, they'd let anyone in like me . Had their standards been what they are today, I would have ended up somewhere else.

 

[Calamitous]

The reason many assume these are horrible schools is that they are land grant schools (LSU, Ark, MSU, UT, UK, Auburn and USC-e) that still hold true to the land grant mission allowing equal opportunity for admission to their state's students.

Tried to hit the edit button to correct. USC-e is not a land grant school, but the other 6 SEC schools are. I like replying to myself.

 

[Dooley]

The lack of worry by Delany about the B1G national title drought goes a long way to explaining why the B1G has one. It almost seems that the reason that they are not worried is simply because they are able to make lots of money from BTN programming even if the quality of the content they are providing in inferior. Who doesn't want to pay for the opportunity Illinois play Indiana in football? Championships become less worisome if they don't affect your bottom line. After a while the lack of championships become just an inconvenient irritant on the road to higher profits.

Oddly, over the last 20 years UConn has probably won more championships just in is Men's and Women's basketball than the entire B1G conference has won in revenue generating sports over the same period of time.

You are exactly right. It's not the only conference though...

Matt Schonvisky @MattSchonvisky · Oct 17
It's total UConn Nat'l Titles 13, ENTIRE @Big12Conference 10 #UConn #BleedBlue #RiseUp #HuskyUp

Matt Schonvisky @MattSchonvisky · Oct 17
National Championships in basketball at #UConn = 13, Titles in the ENTIRE @bigtenconf = 13 #Titletown #BleedBlue #HuskyUp #RiseUp