AAU membership required?

[bws258]

LINK: DMReg (Barta/Delaney)

"Our schools have benefited by healthy economies, by strong job markets, by growth," Delany said. "In the last 20 or 30 years, there's been a clear shift in movement to the Sun Belt. The rates of growth in the Sun Belt are four times the rates in the East or the Midwest."

Membership in the Association of American Universities would be a "very important" factor in considering potential members. All Big Ten schools are part of the AAU, a group of major academic and research institutions.

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I'm reading between the lines, I know, but the fact that he brought it up makes me think an AAU membership is a pre-requisite for consideration. (except for Notre Dame?) FYI, Georgia Tech just joined the AAU last month.

AAU members with major athletic departments:
Arizona, Buffalo, California, UCLA, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Rice, Rutgers, USC, Stanford, Syracuse, Texas,Texas A&M, Tulane, Virginia, Washington, Vanderbilt


Ruling out the mid-majors and the Pac-10 schools leaves:

ACC Schools
Duke -- going nowhere without UNC, IMO
Georgia Tech -- interested in getting out of UGA's shadow?
Maryland -- great geographic sense, but bucking tradition
North Carolina -- too much tradition in the ACC?
Virginia -- makes some sense if UMD is on-board

Big East Schools
Pittsburgh -- best geographic fit, no fans
Rutgers -- extends Big Ten into NY metro
Syracuse -- extends Big Ten into NY state

Big XII Schools
Colorado -- too far west, IMO
Iowa State -- see Pitt
Kansas -- makes sense if Mizzou is on board
Missouri -- unabashed in their pursuit
Nebraska -- close on Mizzou's heels
Texas -- the 799lb steer in the room
Texas A&M -- package deal with Texas?

SEC Schools
Florida -- too much tradition in the SEC?
Vanderbilt -- makes some sense, but any fans?

 

[bws258]

LINK: Dirty South for the Big Ten?

3. Academics with a Capital “A†– Looking at this list of 5 schools, AAU membership in and of itself may not be enough for the Big Ten’s academic requirements. The Big Ten appears to be looking to raise its “academic brand†as much or even more than its athletic brand. Adding Vandy (top ranked BCS school after Stanford, Duke and Northwestern) and Virginia (in the discussion as the nation’s top public university) doesn’t just upgrade the academic reputation among the wonks that look at ARWU rankings and research funding numbers, but also for the average Joe upper middle class suburban high school student looking for colleges. In the academic world, there is an image associated with being a “Big Ten school†in a manner that doesn’t exist for any other conference outside of the Ivy League, so the university presidents are going to be fiercely protective of that. There would be no dilution of the Big Ten’s academic standing whatsoever, whether looking at the populist US News rankings or graduate research-focused metrics.