Techster
Helluva Engineer
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The point is, GT (and acadmically elite schools on the same tier) are going to attract top flight students regardless of having a good football/basketball/baseball/etc. team. If you or I didn't go to GT, there's another kid who has no inclination toward sports with a 4.0 GPA and 1400+ SATs that's going to take our spot (and that's exactly the case as attendance is hurt because of this). You look at the Ivies. They don't compete at the highest levels in sports, but they sure do attract some of the best students in the world, and it's ultra competitive to be admitted into those schools. Before Stanford was doing well in football, they were still getting the top students. Having a bad sports program never hurt Stanford's quality of students.
I'm in no way denigrating other schools. It's just a fact that having a good sports program helps with attracting students. Nothing wrong with that. But it's also a fact that top tier schools like GT will attract top level students regardless of whether or not CPJ takes us to the OB. Look at 2015 for example. One of our worst years since 1994, yet GT was able to attract its most competitive class ever:
http://www.news.gatech.edu/2015/03/20/tech-admits-most-competitive-class-institute-history
What it boils down to is academically elite schools don't need athletics to pull students like other schools do. The academics drive the demand. Schools like Alabama, Mich St, Clemson...all good schools in their own rights, are more attractive because they have good sports programs. Of course, there are other factors as some have pointed out (legacies, scholarships, etc.). I guess that's why the Adminstrative Board at GT maybe lukewarm towards the Athletic side of the school. In the end, GT will be GT regardless of whether or not CPJ makes it to a bowl game or Pastner makes it to the Tournament.
Wrong link quoted. Here's the correct link:
http://nique.net/news/2016/04/08/class-of-2020-is-most-competitive-yet/
