Nebraska’s rank when they accepted the B1G invite was around 100. Plus, the diagram leaves out all of the B1G variables except the internet-three. Anyone who thinks the B1G isn’t more strategic than the three variables is mistaken.
Really? Let's look at every school they've added in the past 30 years:
PSU: Flagship. AAU. Only #77 in USN&WR, but B1G admins look more closely at ARWU. #40-54 in that category
Nebraska: Flagship. AAU (since kicked out thanks to MIchigan and Wisconsin voting to remove them in a tight vote). 151 in USN&WR, but 63-85 in ARWU, the same as Iowa. Barely made Academic cut.
Rutgers: Flaship. AAU. 55 usn&wr, 40-54 ARWU.
Maryland: Flagship. AAU. 55 USN&WR, 28 ARWU.
USC: Private so they can't be a flagship. #25 USN&WR, #31 ARWU. One of the top non-Ivy Private schools in the World
UCLA: co-Flagship. 20 usn&wr. 11 ARWU (and #13 in the World). 11 basketball championships most all time.
Everyone was a Flagship or co-Flagship except Private USC. Everyone was AAU. All but Nebraska truly Academically Elite, and Nebraska brought plenty of other good, desirable things like a huge Brand with top 10 attendance and 3 recent National Titles (all within 16 years of joining the B1G).
Anyone the B1G is looking at today had better be a Flagship, ND, or at least a co-Flagship like UCLA or MIchigan St. They'd better be AAU, or at least academically Elite. Preferably both, but there can be certain exceptions: again looking at ND, they're #18 in USN&WR and a strong Tier 2 school just below the Ivies, Caltech, MIT and Duke, avg SAT is 1475. I haven't gotten confirmation of this, but many of us have openly speculated that the B1G wouldn't consider even mighty OU due to their perceived Academic inferiority. I don't know if that's true or not, but Nebraska is clearly superior to OU Academically, and their Football Brand was at least as good in2010 as OU's is today.
Let's look at a few current ACC schools from the Secret 7 based upon this historical B1G criteria.
UNC: Flagship. AAU. 29 USN&WR, 20 ARWU. Brings a new State. Top 5 basketball Brand. A rich man's Maryland, they're, ahem, a slam dunk.
FSU: co-Flagship in big state. Not AAU. 55 USN&WR, 63-85 ARWU. Used to be good at football.
Clemson: co-Flagship. Not AAU. 77 USN&WR. 147-157 ARWU. Big brand is similar to Nebraska's from 2010.
Miami: Private with great history of Success, much like USC's. Not AAU. 55 USN&WR, 63-85 ARWU. Done squat in 20 years, however, no Conference titles and only 1 division title since joining the ACC.
UVA: Flagship. AAU. #25 USN&WR, 63-85 ARWU. Solid in basketball, won title a few years ago, not so much in football.
UNC passes the smell test for the B1G, they're a far better version of Maryland. UVA passes the smell test, too, they're very similar to Maryland. The rest? 11 football Titles and a Dream. 1, or all, of those other 3 could get a B1G invite, and neither would surprise me in the slightest. None of the 3 look better on paper today than Nebraska did in 2010, Nebraska was an AAU Flagship with 3 titles in the past 16 years, that's as many as Clemson, Miami and FSU all have combined, in the past 16 years, and 1 more AAU than they all 3 have combined, too.