Can we stay competitive in the NIL era?

[Skeptic]

This would change the mantra from "I got out!" to "I got in!".

I wouldn't come close to being admitted these days with thresholds like this.

Of course you realize SATs are just part of the admission review.

 

[bigrabbit]

Of course you realize SATs are just part of the admission review.

Competitive Admission Policy | Undergraduate Admission

admission.gatech.edu

Yes, it’s holistic and for our kid the other stuff was probably key to getting in this year (sports, arts, 9 AP courses, two years of calculus/stats, solid essays, community service). Solid grades/scores probably weren’t enough.

Retention has greatly improved, so as @Techwood Relict stated, the game has shifted to getting in (and for many, maintaining Hope/Zell scholarships).

 

[Techwood Relict]

Of course you realize SATs are just part of the admission review.

Yeah. Somewhat my point. By the time I made it to GT, I had a broken athletic body and very little to offer beyond a decent math brain. Glad to have made it in (and out!)

 

[GoldZ]

more probably the result of a deliberate move by the trustees and administration to increase the high dollar out-of-state students and cut lowdollar in state students.

Could be, but a lot of the pitch for out of state applicants is they get to pay in-state tuition. It would be interesting to see how these students stack up academically to LA students.

 

[RamblinRed]

I don't think having a good college football team 'hurts' a college academically, it likely helps it. But from a GT perspective it doesn't really need any 'help' attracting students.
It's become a very difficult school to get into and has way more applicants than spots. GT has changed admission policies radically since the time I was in school. It has gone from allowing alot in and then having a high percentage fail out to allowing a much more select group in, but having alot fewer dropouts.

On another item, and this may not be the best place for it, but here is an article from Dennis Dodd and the ACC being opposed to college expansion. According to the article the ACC FB coaches were unanimous in opposing college expansion before 2025. They feel there are other issues that need to be fixed (including NIL and the transfer portal) before expansion is pursued. From the article it also sounds like the B10 is a 'no' right now on expansion.
B12, PAC12 and SEC are in favor, though SEC is saying they are also fine keeping as it is right now.

Inside the ACC's rejection of College Football Playoff expansion amid concerns about larger issues

ACC coaches and officials want other problems solved before tackling potential CFP expansion

www.cbssports.com

Expansion is very likely to happen, but the odds of it happening before 2025 are going down significantly. It also appears at least a couple of conferences (including the ACC) are intent on going to 2025 and then allowing a bidding war and splitting the CFP package up amongst multiple media entities. IMO I don't think some of the conferences want so much power resting with ESPN.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

IMO I don't think some of the conferences want so much power resting with ESPN.

 

[Skeptic]

I don't think having a good college football team 'hurts' a college academically, it likely helps it. But from a GT perspective it doesn't really need any 'help' attracting students.
It's become a very difficult school to get into and has way more applicants than spots. GT has changed admission policies radically since the time I was in school. It has gone from allowing alot in and then having a high percentage fail out to allowing a much more select group in, but having alot fewer dropouts.

On another item, and this may not be the best place for it, but here is an article from Dennis Dodd and the ACC being opposed to college expansion. According to the article the ACC FB coaches were unanimous in opposing college expansion before 2025. They feel there are other issues that need to be fixed (including NIL and the transfer portal) before expansion is pursued. From the article it also sounds like the B10 is a 'no' right now on expansion.
B12, PAC12 and SEC are in favor, though SEC is saying they are also fine keeping as it is right now.

Inside the ACC's rejection of College Football Playoff expansion amid concerns about larger issues

ACC coaches and officials want other problems solved before tackling potential CFP expansion

www.cbssports.com

Expansion is very likely to happen, but the odds of it happening before 2025 are going down significantly. It also appears at least a couple of conferences (including the ACC) are intent on going to 2025 and then allowing a bidding war and splitting the CFP package up amongst multiple media entities. IMO I don't think some of the conferences want so much power resting with ESPN.

It did not take long, but: some boosters and universities are firming "limited liability" entities. they will make nothing, sell nothing. have no employees and bear no resemblance to any business at all. their role is to funnel money to athletes who in turn will "endorse" said LLC. I am not sure how that differs from the infamous nine Texas oilmen who funded SMU and got it the death sentence, The NCAA can and will screw up a driver;s exam.

 

[ChicagobasedJacket]

ACC is stuck in a bad place thanks to that horrific tv contract Swofford signed.

 

[RamblinRed]

the TV contract is not the biggest issue.
While the ACC schools earn less TV money than some other conferences, that pales compared to all the other revenue sources the power schools have.
Ohio St's AD mentioned during the COVID year that 6 home games bring in over $100M in revenue to the school. GT's whole budget isn't even 100M

The top schools get so much more revenue from their fanbase than smaller schools that it isn't even in the same ballpark. That is what causes the huge differences in revenue between the top schools and everyone else.

 

[TooTall]

the TV contract is not the biggest issue.
While the ACC schools earn less TV money than some other conferences, that pales compared to all the other revenue sources the power schools have.
Ohio St's AD mentioned during the COVID year that 6 home games bring in over $100M in revenue to the school. GT's whole budget isn't even 100M

The top schools get so much more revenue from their fanbase than smaller schools that it isn't even in the same ballpark. That is what causes the huge differences in revenue between the top schools and everyone else.

The AD probably took the tv money per game, bookstore sales, parking fees, tickets (both season, single game, lux box and the additional donation funds to get those tix), concessions, school owned hotel game day rates etc. And with a stadium that seats north of 100,000 that is about right. But TV money is a huge portion of that.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

The AD probably took the tv money per game, bookstore sales, parking fees, tickets (both season, single game, lux box and the additional donation funds to get those tix), concessions, school owned hotel game day rates etc. And with a stadium that seats north of 100,000 that is about right. But TV money is a huge portion of that.

With their ticket prices and current seating capacity, tOSU brings in over $60 million in ticket sales alone, before concessions and other game day revenue streams are even factored in. This is based on a 6 home game schedule. & home games drives it to $73 million. TV money is big, but not that big.

 

[GoldZ]

I read a consulting research study that said universities who do well in sports get more of their current category of academic students applying, but usually not significantly better students. I recall the study referred to how university presidents know this little secret. So you can go from a 52% acceptance rate down to 45% but sports will not take a school to the next level - like GT at sub 20% with steadily climbing admissions stats.

Alums drive most of the sports mania and it’s therefore a bit easier to attract alum engagement for development when the team is doing well. Alums at top schools get excited or frustrated about sports, but most of their money still goes to academics.

I don’t think GT is in a particularly unique situation. I have a grad degree from Duke and their alums can’t believe how football there perpetually stinks while basketball is so good. I think Duke’s endowment is in the mid teens of billions. Stanford football sucks now and they could kill NIL if they really really wanted to. It’s worse for us being located in the southeast, close to uga, bama etc. Texas would be tough as well…probably explains A&M throwing the kitchen sink at it.

Btw I could see us in the B1G if it solves the TV revenue issue, could pick up lots of B1G alums in Atlanta as sidewalk fans. One good thing about ACC football is how the hurdle for being competitive is so low, few factories, even Wake is competitive.

Not so sure if more applications from the students who are already there, won't actually up the curve. Isn't the left hand tail of the normal distribution curve gonna increase, as well as the right ? The left is gonna get left out, right ? Of course it's been half a century since I tool stats at Ma.

 

[jayparr]

I estimate that the average coach goes 6 and 6 in 12 games and thus goes to a bowl. But now that our coach has all his top recruits and transfers, I forecast 8-4 next year.

Sorry,but that will not happen!

 

[Techster]

Interesting...

 

[TooTall]

Interesting...

Wonderful idea. They have laid out a very good blue print for others to copy. Basically there will be the athletics department for facilities, housing, food etc and a loosely connected arm solely for NIL contributions. I like it.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Of course the playoffs are going to expand. Right now the conferences are all just posturing and throwing stuff against the wall. It’s all so predictable. The purity coming from the conference leaders makes me want to puke. But, grifters are gonna grift. Whether it’s 2025 or 2028 eventually the money issue will get settled and lo and behold these conferences who are looking out for the student athletes and the purity of the sport will magically come to the conclusion that expansion is a wonderful idea. Then they’ll buy another beach house and a boat.

 

[CEB]

Wonderful idea. They have laid out a very good blue print for others to copy. Basically there will be the athletics department for facilities, housing, food etc and a loosely connected arm solely for NIL contributions. I like it.

Who didn’t see this coming? Ridiculous.

So what’s to keep organizations like this from providing money AND scholarships to athletes? If they went out and set up a deal to cover college expenses in addition to cash, couldn’t you theoretically offer scholarships to 85 other kids? If these got big enough and took care of your “top” 15-20 kids, you could give 85 additional kids scholarships and effectively increase your scholarship players to 100-105?

 

[MidtownJacket]

Interesting...

Will be interesting indeed. Not sure how this will be managed or governed.. I like that "we run as a charitable organization" bit as I wonder if they'll pursue tax deductible status.. Going to be a brave new world in "college" athletics.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Will be interesting indeed. Not sure how this will be managed or governed.. I like that "we run as a charitable organization" bit as I wonder if they'll pursue tax deductible status.. Going to be a brave new world in "college" athletics.

501c3 for some needy deserving athletes

 

[Skeptic]

501c3 for some needy deserving athletes

We will see what happens when 19-year-old QB with a HS diploma is making $3 million a year and his position coach is 35 years old and is sitting at $400,000 a year after 12 years in the trenches and facing unemployment if the 19-year-old turns out to be a bust as so many are.