Conference Realignment

GoldZ

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
912
I don't have any inside information. I do think that the people on the academic side who don't care much about athletics would still like to be part of an academic/research consortium like the Big10's. I think it would add prestige on the academic side which is something they seem to care about a lot. I was responding to your statement that they would think it is all just a PITA. I think many would think it worthwhile to be a part of the academic side of the Big10. Many fans seem to think that football will be the only thing involved in conference affiliation. To this point, the Big10 has considered academics and research to be very important, up to the level that they have a prestigious consortium that includes every member. The ACC used to value academics, but as far as I know have never had any such affiliation. Then they added Louisville, which was obviously only for football and basketball.

I haven't met Cabrera and don't know too much about him. I would hope that a person in his position would not be pushing and advocating internally for the direction of the football program. He should depend on the AD and athletic department to determine what would be best for athletics and make recommendations to him. If joining the Big10 was such a recommendation, then he should consult with the academic and research areas to get their input into the value of the Big10. If a decision to join the Big10 was made internally, then he should push and advocate externally for the school. I just think he has too many things to do to get involved with reading and analyzing contracts, potential schedules, etc. The university president should rely on departments and department heads to handle the grunt work, he should be overseeing and managing the entire organization.

That isn't to say that GT or any ACC school will leave the ACC. There are still significant hurdles in place and there is no public indication that the Big10 nor the SEC are actively looking to add more teams. I am only saying that academically it would be a step up to be in the Big10 vs the ACC.
The Presidents at virtually every big time winner in D-1 is definitely involved in the football program, especially during times the program is floundering. What are we hearing during our time of floundering and cFB undergoing extreme chaos, from Cabrera....nada. Managing the entire organization includes the football program.
 

GoldZ

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
912
Yeah, that's been going on, probably from the beginning. One Tech athlete from my class in the 70's with a long pro career could barely read. Another big name sitting next to me was upset that my exam had different answers and tapped me on the arm continuely the whole hour asking me to do work his problems too. Ah, but I guess it all gets fixed in the end.
In more recent times at Tech however, players who avg 1000 on SATs with a 3.0 gpa are not morons(although far behind Tech's reg student). If SOWEGA's "pretty smart friend" had made it in, and had to endure a football player's demands without assistance, he too might have been tapping your arm for answers. Doesn't much matter at this point though, because cFB is eventually going to drop all pretense about academics, at least at big time football schools, imo.
 

gameface

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
325
The Presidents at virtually every big time winner in D-1 is definitely involved in the football program, especially during times the program is floundering. What are we hearing during our time of floundering and cFB undergoing extreme chaos, from Cabrera....nada. Managing the entire organization includes the football program.
I know a professor at Auburn who says; "when the football team wins, we get raises."
 

RonJohn

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,995
The Presidents at virtually every big time winner in D-1 is definitely involved in the football program, especially during times the program is floundering. What are we hearing during our time of floundering and cFB undergoing extreme chaos, from Cabrera....nada. Managing the entire organization includes the football program.
You and I have a different idea of "managing". A president of a $2.3 billion organization cannot be heavily involved in the weeds of ANY particular section of the organization. I agree that he is ultimately responsible, but at his level the responsibility is to make decisions and guide the people below him. He could make phone calls with the AD. He could petition the presidents of other universities if a decision to try to join another conference was made. He cannot take the time to investigate and analyze the pros and cons of staying/leaving the ACC. He could direct the athletic association to investigate those things and report to him. Neither of us knows if he has done that or not. Maybe it is a matter of semantics, or maybe you actually believe that Cabrera should ignore all other parts of the school and spend 100% of his time to improve athletics.

Take a look at a large corporation. Is Jim Farley of Ford acting as an operator on a factory floor in China making chips to build more F-150s? If Jim Farley flying airplanes to deliver chips to build more F-150s? Is Jim Farley acting as a procurement manager and constantly calling the chip factories and delivery companies to see where the chips are? Is Jim Farley developing reports about the inventory of trucks that only need a couple of chips and the status of those chips? Or is Jim Farley getting reports from underlings, making top-to-top phone calls to the vendors, and pushing the underlings to get better results?
 

gameface

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
325
I teach at Auburn and disagree. Like most places, there's a formal process. Football performance is not part of the process.
Well the guy was a tenored professor and is now a professor emeritus. It was five years ago that he said this.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,075
In more recent times at Tech however, players who avg 1000 on SATs with a 3.0 gpa are not morons(although far behind Tech's reg student). If SOWEGA's "pretty smart friend" had made it in, and had to endure a football player's demands without assistance, he too might have been tapping your arm for answers. Doesn't much matter at this point though, because cFB is eventually going to drop all pretense about academics, at least at big time football schools, imo.
This is where we simply disagree. Some posters act as if athletes are the only students on campus with “extra” demands on them. That is ridiculous. You act as if the regular students go to class a few hours a day and then sleep and watch TV all day. Most students work, have family obligations, etc, etc. Athletes are the most pampered students on campus. They don’t have to worry about food, have academic assistance at their need, etc. I’m not saying athletes don’t put in hours of work for their sport, I’m simply saying all GT students put in hours of work. Recently, I knew a kid who was a GT baseball player from my area. This kid had the right view. Sure, he told me about the early hours to work out, then class, breakfast, afternoon workouts, evening study sessions, etc. But he also told me how his regular student roommate woke up earlier than him to go to his first part time job so he could help pay his way in between classes and then did a second part time job in the evening. The baseball player knew he had it much easier.
 

gameface

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
325
Sounds like he got a raise and Vespidae didn't ;=).
I had two brothers who played football at Auburn along with a few high school teammates; so I can tell you alot.
I think he was pulling your leg. It's very tightly controlled by the state budgeting and state ethics commission. It is much more restrictive than in Georgia.
Nope; he was not; had no reason to.
 

TooTall

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,288
Location
Vidalia
Reports that Phil Kinght is calling conferences trying to find a place for Oregon. Do we answer that call and negotiate a price that Nike must pay and welcome Oregon and Oregon St to the Atlantic Coast?
 

iopjacket

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
806
From what I can glean, the exit fee is $50 million, but Notre Dame doesn't have a GOR agreement for football. The cost of leaving would not be prohibitive.
I agree. If the ACC start falling apart, it will start with ND. Depending on their success, a block of schools might challenge the GOR.
 

gameface

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
325
I agree. If the ACC start falling apart, it will start with ND. Depending on their success, a block of schools might challenge the GOR.
I have always heard; and seen written, that if ND joined a conference it had to be the ACC. For the duration of the agreement. It came from an interview with Swofford.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,499
I had two brothers who played football at Auburn along with a few high school teammates; so I can tell you alot.

Nope; he was not; had no reason to.
You had the conversation and I didn’t, but I suspect
  1. He was kidding a little bit,
  2. Board members and other influential people are in a better mood after a championship, which doesn’t hurt in getting a more optimistic budget
I wouldn’t correlate championships TOO closely to raises. There are indirect benefits, like increase enrollment, that would help, though
 

GoldZ

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
912
You and I have a different idea of "managing". A president of a $2.3 billion organization cannot be heavily involved in the weeds of ANY particular section of the organization. I agree that he is ultimately responsible, but at his level the responsibility is to make decisions and guide the people below him. He could make phone calls with the AD. He could petition the presidents of other universities if a decision to try to join another conference was made. He cannot take the time to investigate and analyze the pros and cons of staying/leaving the ACC. He could direct the athletic association to investigate those things and report to him. Neither of us knows if he has done that or not. Maybe it is a matter of semantics, or maybe you actually believe that Cabrera should ignore all other parts of the school and spend 100% of his time to improve athletics.

Take a look at a large corporation. Is Jim Farley of Ford acting as an operator on a factory floor in China making chips to build more F-150s? If Jim Farley flying airplanes to deliver chips to build more F-150s? Is Jim Farley acting as a procurement manager and constantly calling the chip factories and delivery companies to see where the chips are? Is Jim Farley developing reports about the inventory of trucks that only need a couple of chips and the status of those chips? Or is Jim Farley getting reports from underlings, making top-to-top phone calls to the vendors, and pushing the underlings to get better results?
It's not semantics RJ and your comment about him spending a 100% of his time on athletics is patently absurd. No I didn't say or actually believe such nonsense. When a leader of an organization doesn't communicate his position on an important topic, the void will be filled with things he doesn't believe. Now, you tell me and everyone else....what is his position on Tech football and the sport in general, since both are undergoing a generational change. What, you can't? Exactly
 
Last edited:
Top