Lol, actually we were discussing academia at schools. I've already apparently enlightened you that Iowa's entrance requirements are governed by the state so that they're in line with ISU (and possibly UNI as well).
Regardless of that Iowa would be one of the top academic schools in the SEC and B12, and in the middle of both the ACC and P12. You said it would be at the bottom because you don't know what you're talking about.
I really hate to break this to you, but Iowa undergrad would probably be in the bottom half or third of the SEC. When they make college rankings or whatever, there is a big component on "prestige" or some shit where academics stroke each other off based on historical elements. Iowa does well here, it's an AAU member and old-line Big Ten school.
But in reality, as a state grows its population, its test scores for its flagship state schools go way up and as the student body gets better, the schools tend to get better. The rankings don't pick this up in real time. If you look at Iowa's ACT scores, for example, its 75th percentile score matches only LSU, Mississippi State and Kentucky. That is not exactly stellar company, academically speaking.
I don't say this to be a snarky asshole, but the modest 100k population increase in Iowa between 1980 and 2010 really did a number on Iowa and the remaining gene pool certainly isn't what it was going into 1980. I have a total of 14 cousins. 8 of us have college degrees and 7 of us with degrees moved out of Iowa. That story is common. The same thing has happened to Nebraska. You had small population base states to begin with and they had periods of flatline population growth and some declines in there. I think it is even beginning to manifest itself in places like Illinois and Michigan, but they have much higher rankings and are able to draw strong kids internationally. Illinois, for instance, now has a target of 10% of each incoming class from China because they bring one or two more points on the ACT and pay full rate out of state tuition. Iowa just can't pull like that, so we have to rely on the Chicago suburb kids who got bonged from Illinois, and even their numbers are dwindling as Illinois ages and has massive outbound flight.
A huge reason the Cal schools are so highly regarded is because they have a gigantic population they are drawing from, so you need eye popping test scores to get in. You're seeing the same shit play out now with schools like Texas, Florida and Georgia as well. I love Iowa, but that school is in an absolutely shit spot for demographics going forward. The growth in places like the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama is occurring at breakneck speeds and the states are using higher education as an integrated part of industrial policy and long term planning that I just don't think is occurring in places like Iowa or Nebraska. And the people that are moving to the South aren't Bubba and his yokel family of inbreds. My across the street neighbor is an engineer with two degrees from freaking Purdue. My next door neighbor has a degree in comp sci from Michigan. The guy a couple houses down went to Illinois. These people have kids who will be smart and successful and they ain't moving to Iowa for college.
Again, I really love the U of Iowa, but it is not in a good spot looking out at the next 20+ years.
