Week 12 college football thread

UTEP leaving the WAC in 2005 (when it was still a mid-major football power) remains one of the great mysteries of the mid-2000s version of conference roulette. Fits much better in the MW and has natural geographic rivalries with New Mexico and New Mexico State.

 

How I miss the "Bottom Ten" and El Intercepted Paso.

 

A quick Google Maps search shows Los Angeles is closer to El Paso (802 miles) than El Paso to Beaumont, Texas (826).

 

One of the great geographic facts ever.

 

IIRC, the Mountain West did not want UTEP to come along.

 

That, and I also heard at the time UTEP wanted to be in a conference that got them into the Metroplex and Houston more often since the bulk of its alumni were in those areas.

 

Washington State-Stanford now off. Three weeks in a row Stanford's had a game cancelled. Cardinal said to be "examing options."

 

No options.

 

Let's work through the USC water polo example.

USC has no trouble attracting applicants, even though the current tuition price is $59,260. Only 11% of applicants are admitted.

USC also has had and still may have lower academic standards for water polo athletes. This I know because the long time coach got nabbed by the feds for selling admission slots that he controlled.

So USC could seemingly attract more academically qualified applicants than the water polo squad. They would not have to spring for any scholarships and could charge the students who are admitted in lieu of the water polo team full tuition. The school would also save on the cost of maintaining the team (for example, the coach was arrested in Hawaii where the team had traveled for a competition).

In the case of USC it is a private school that ahs more money than God and they can spend it as they wish. My son was admitted to USC but choose instead to attend the University of Virginia as an in-state student. But the economics of sports programs at Virginia are similar to USC. As a Virginia taxpayer and someone who forked over 150K for my two sons to go to UVA I do not see why I should subsidize athletes in a sport such as water polo that basically no one other than the athletes and their families care about.

 

And, there goes my hopes the San Jose State-Stanford series would be resumed.

 

Your example is very good. My example actually happened many many years ago before the fake enrollments began.