It might not be perfect but when you combine it with how the conferences behave from an expansion standpoint it makes perfect sense.
Not a single team in the new XII raised the value of the PAC/BIG which is why none were added.
Not perfect? It said Rice’s fanbase was 26% larger than UH. If anyone believed that, Rice would be going to the Big 12 and we’d still be in CUSA, not even the AAC
Uh, no.
The slides here said that UH had 470,000 fans.
Rice only 90,000.
UH has more than FIVE TIMES the fans that Rice has (and that’s probably an UNDERstatement).
The best part of this slide deck is the last slide, which explains the reasons why certain schools are “At-Risk”.
I must say, this organization really nailed it. The description of Miami, Georgetown and Michigan were particularly on point.
Many of the slides say based on the 2011, 2014, and 2019 studies. Here’s the 2011 study: The Geography of College Football Fans (and Realignment Chaos) - The New York Times
That one says Rice has 127k fans and UH has 100k. Maybe they didn’t weight that study as heavily, but if they used it at all, it makes me question everything.
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