College Football 19-20: Where We Kinda Want Clemson As Champion.

[JF_Gophers]

Thankfully Ohio State wont win the national title.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Yeah is baseball that big nationally?

you replace baseball with volleyball, wrestling or hockey and I think the numbers change

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Yeah is baseball that big nationally?

you replace baseball with volleyball, wrestling or hockey and I think the numbers change

Why in the world would you replace baseball with wrestling or hockey? Baseball is a much fairer comparison point than hockey (only 1 of the Power 5 conferences has the sport) or Wrestling (where only about 1/2 the Power 5 teams competes). It looks like almost all (if not all) of the Power 5 teams at least compete in Women's Volleyball, making it at least somewhat comparable with Baseball. That being said, I would have to imagine that significantly more money is involved with Baseball than Women's Volleyball, and in any event, Baseball is far more important on a national level than Women's Volleyball.

Again, you can include baseball or not, either way, the B1G lags way behind the other Power 5 conferences when it comes to national titles in the marquee sports.

ETA: The 2018 College World Series averaged 1.1 million viewers. The highest watched women's volleyball game that I could find was the 2017 NCAA Title game, with 1.009 million viewers. So, from a ratings perspective, the two sports are probably pretty similar.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

If we use...

Football and Men's Basketball:
SEC: 20 National Titles
ACC: 16 National Titles
Big 12: 7 National Titles
Pac 12: 5 National Titles
B1G: 4 National Titles

If we add Women's Basketball to the mix (the likely clear #3 sport across the country):
SEC: 27 National Titles
ACC: 19 National Titles
Big 12: 12 National Titles
Pac 12: 7 National Titles
B1G: 5 National Titles

If we add Baseball and Women's Volleyball (which may be the 4/5 sports across the country):
SEC: 39 National Titles
Pac 12: 28 National Titles
ACC: 20 National Titles
Big 12: 19 National Titles
B1G: 14 National Titles

So, even if we add Women's Volleyball, the B1G is still dead last amongst the Power 5s (although, the 9 Women's Volleyball national titles at least makes it a bit more respectable).

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Why in the world would you replace baseball with wrestling or hockey? Baseball is a much fairer comparison point than hockey (only 1 of the Power 5 conferences has the sport) or Wrestling (where only about 1/2 the Power 5 teams competes). It looks like almost all (if not all) of the Power 5 teams at least compete in Women's Volleyball, making it at least somewhat comparable with Baseball. That being said, I would have to imagine that significantly more money is involved with Baseball than Women's Volleyball, and in any event, Baseball is far more important on a national level than Women's Volleyball.

Again, you can include baseball or not, either way, the B1G lags way behind the other Power 5 conferences when it comes to national titles in the marquee sports.

ETA: The 2018 College World Series averaged 1.1 million viewers. The highest watched women's volleyball game that I could find was the 2017 NCAA Title game, with 1.009 million viewers. So, from a ratings perspective, the two sports are probably pretty similar.

I asked the question because I had no idea. I thought wrestling was at most schools, like volleyball and baseball

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

I asked the question because I had no idea. I thought wrestling was at most schools, like volleyball and baseball

I actually thought wrestling had a more narrow footprint than it did (similar to hockey). All of the B1G schools have it. A handful of the ACC schools...none of the SEC schools...there is a Big 12 wrestling conference, but only Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia are the Power 5 schools that compete (numerous affiliate programs comprise the rest of the conference)...and a similar situation with the Pac 12, where only Arizona State, Oregon State, and Stanford compete (oddly, University of Arkansas - Little Rock is an affiliate Pac 12 Wrestling member).

Altogether, 79 programs have wrestling.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Baseball isn’t a great comparison. It’s one of the big 3 of men’s sports nationally, but inside of the conference it’s usually been at least the fourth sport at most schools. Outside of the last 5-10 years when teams started to finally invest some in baseball, the Big Ten was essentially a mid-major conference. Even now I don’t know if I would consider it a power conference of baseball, but at least there’s a team that can compete to get to Super Regionals/CWS each year.

Half the conference has been putting “third sport” resources into hockey and the other half wrestling. That money is for baseball in the SEC and Pac 12, and a lot of the Big 12.

I would argue soccer is a bigger sport at most power schools than baseball. Even women's soccer at some.

 

[Slap Shot]

I would remove baseball - northern schools are at a complete disadvantage compared with CA and southern schools.

The Big Ten has been kissing its sister for quite a long time. They've finished 2nd 7 times in MBB since 2002, twice in WBB and OSU has had a few 2nd place finishes in FB as well I believe.

 

[Kepler]

Typically it's:

#1 Football
#2 Basketball
#3 (local color)

There are schools where (local color) moves to 2 or even 1. At UMBC #1 is, and I swear I'm not making this up, Chess.

My impression is the schools where #1 is Hockey are: SLU, Clarkson, RPI, maybe Cornell (Football is weirdly still big among the Rich Olds), BU (I... guess?), maybe Maine (never quite sure where football is there), maybe Vermont (never quite sure where basketball is for them) and for the West, I dunno, CC? Denver? The UP schools?

Baseball is #1 at some schools in the southwestern belt -- Wichita State, Cal State Fullerton maybe? Problem for Baseball is it overlaps with Factory Football Schools (Pac Ten, SWC, SEC).

 

[LynahFan]

Surely there must be several more schools where hockey is #1. Every play-up school should be on the list, almost by definition (add Union, RPI, etc). UND? UMD?

 

[Kepler]

Surely there must be several more schools where hockey is #1. Every play-up school should be on the list, almost by definition (add Union, RPI, etc). UND? UMD?

Probably, although I'm not sure about every play-up school. I'll bet there are places (Atlantic Hockey) where the D-2 basketball or football is bigger than the D-1 hockey. Isn't NoDak football (relatively) big, or is that SoDak? The Ivies are the classic example. They are "D-1" in football only laughably and yet football is much bigger than hockey for 7 if not 8 of them, and basketball is at several.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Probably, although I'm not sure about every play-up school. I'll bet there are places (Atlantic Hockey) where the D-2 basketball or football is bigger than the D-1 hockey. Isn't NoDak football (relatively) big, or is that SoDak? The Ivies are the classic example. They are "D-1" in football only laughably and yet football is much bigger than hockey for 7 if not 8 of them, and basketball is at several.

Hockey is, by far, #1 at North Dakota. One of the stories I like to tell about my time at UND was in 2001:

The football team was playing in the D2 NCAA National Championship game. They had a tremendous season, and won the game with a last minute (and seemingly improbable) touchdown drive. It was the school's first national title in football. A group of freshman tried to get a rally together to greet the team when they returned. That same weekend, the hockey team was playing in Wisconsin. The hockey team was the worst of the Blais era (I believe his only group that finished below .500), and got swept by the Badgers. The two teams returned to campus at approximately the same time, and the group there to meet the hockey team (then 5-9-1) numbered about 10x the size of the group there to meet the football team.

You can also look at other things to show how hockey towers over the other sports programs at North Dakota (e.g. media coverage, ticket cost, attendance, etc.), but I always felt that story showed the relative importance of hockey to football (the #2 at UND).

 

[mookie1995]

Surely there must be several more schools where hockey is #1. Every play-up school should be on the list, almost by definition (add Union, RPI, etc). UND? UMD?

There are schools were crew is #1

at the end of the day, boys football and basketball are it. Everything else is birdseed

 

[Kepler]

There are schools were crew is #1

There are?

Prep schools maybe.

 

[Kepler]

at the end of the day, boys football and basketball are it

Is there any fully coed school where a women's sport is #1? Has UConn women's hoops exceeded their men's basketball and laughable football?

Stanford and UNC women's soccer would have a shot but they are both jock factories. (Tennessee women's hoops and Iowa wrestling have the same problem).

 

[dxmnkd316]

Exceeded in what way?

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Is there any fully coed school where a women's sport is #1? Has UConn women's hoops exceeded their men's basketball and laughable football?

Stanford and UNC women's soccer would have a shot but they are both jock factories. (Tennessee women's hoops and Iowa wrestling have the same problem).

I suppose it depends on the definition of what makes the sport #1 at the school.

If money is a metric, then we can probably start with the schools that don't have football and play in a minor conference. Maybe a school like Portland? They've won a bunch of women's soccer national titles, and I can't think of any success in men's sports.

 

[Kepler]

Exceeded in what way?

Become the BSOC.

I'm not sure how one objectively measures that. Who gets invited to the hip party first?

 

[Jimjamesak]

I would argue soccer is a bigger sport at most power schools than baseball. Even women's soccer at some.

I’d probably say:
1. Football
2. Men’s Basketball
3. Women’s Basketball/Volleyball/Soccer (depends on the school)

Outside of basketball and football, men’s sports are a crapshoot because it depends on what men’s sports that school actually has.

 

[French Rage]

maybe Cornell (Football is weirdly still big among the Rich Olds), BU (I... guess?)

Are we talking about student interest or money? Either way, I think football is probably still #1 in a lot of places you wouldn't even think, just given its power over entertainment and society. Football hasn't done squat at Cornell in decades, but as you mention it might still rake in more donations because of the pre-1970 history. I think there's some other state that a football stadium is the largest stadium/arena in 48 of 50 states (I want to say the other 2 are Alaska and Vermont), partly because it requires more seats, but partly because in places where you wouldn't think people care about football, they still do. Football controls the eyes and money everywhere unless there's a strong force saying otherwise.