I guess my last "conference re-draft"/"bitch about OSU not being selected" post was a day too early as the very next pick was your very own Oklahoma State Cowboys.  We will appropriately be joining the Cult of Les Miles along with LSU, Michigan, UNC, Stanford, Arkansas, Iowa, and then South Carolina was selected on the turnaround after OSU (although, if I were a South Carolina fan I would report this as them being the 7th round pick, and OSU being the first pick of the 8th).  Here is the big board as of now:

So according to the SB Nation blogging public, Oklahoma State is the 42nd most desirable program/school out there.  Sure this isn't a true measure as many conferences looked to round out their lineups with programs that are probably not overall as highly thought of as Oklahoma State, but worked to add variety or a specialty to that specific conference. For example, conferences may have skipped over an overall better program to get a basketball school (Duke, Kansas), an academic school (Cal), or a horrible school (Clemson, Pitt).  But overall, this is probably about as good of a measure as one can get on a subject as abstract as "How valued is Oklahoma State?"

What does everyone think?  Was Oklahoma State taken too early? Too late? At about the right time? 

What about how the COLM conference as a whole is shaping up? Top 2 wrestling programs, some excellent baseball, overall nice basketball programs, and after LSU and Michigan, a good selection of middle tier football programs that are always on the cusp of becoming legit contenders.

I'm back from  vacation and ready to piss everyone off with the assortment of programs that were selected in front of our beloved Oklahoma State Pickens Wallets.  Here is the current board:

I will add some more analysis/complaining about two Big 12 north schools being selected in front of the Pokes in a bit.  For now, bask in the feeling of knowing that Oklahoma State is still a big time underdog when it comes to the national perception of program strength.  Someone get another 500 mil out of Boone please.

Some more interesting numbers:

• 41 programs have been selected thus far, but the #12 (South Carolina), #21 (Ok-State), #22 (Minnesota), #26 (ASU), #30 (Ole Miss), #32 (Colorado), and #33 (Texas Tech) highest revenue generating programs are still available. I would classify these programs as having poor images. These are programs that bring in as much or more money than those already selected, but are perceived as being lesser.
  
• Oklahoma State is the highest combined finisher in the Directors Cup standings to not be selected yet. #6 in Fall, #33 in Winter, #32 in Spring.
• Oklahoma State is the only school in the top 10 of total national championships (#4) that has yet to be selected.

We have an image problem.

Haven't heard about the SB Nation Conference Re-draft project? Click here, then here.

We are through 5 rounds, and here is how the board looks so far.  (Also, conference names... yeah!)

A nice change from the first 2 rounds as we are now starting to see some basketball schools pop in there (including the widely ridiculed selection of Louisville in the 3rd round), and some selections based more on market and fanbase.

What does everyone think of the way the conferences are shaping up?  Which picks were steals (Stanford) and which ones could have been taken a few rounds later (Louisville, VT)?  Is TSK trying to accumulate the most annoying fanbases in college athletics... plus Arizona?

We are in round 6 now which I had pegged as the round where Oklahoma State would be taken.  And if any of you commissioners or existing conference members need some reasons to pick the Pokes, well how about a top 10 football program, a historically relevant and solid basketball program, 34 wrestling national championships, 10 golf national championships, 50 total national championships, a rabid tight knit fanbase, Garth Brooks, great small town college atmosphere, beaches (yes, I count Lake Carl Blackwell as having a beach), one of the highest rated golf courses in the nation, Chris Gaines, top-notch Ag and engineering programs, and..... I feel like I am forgetting something... hmmm, there was something else I wanted to mention.... I have a nagging feeling that I am forgetting 500 million other reasons that Oklahoma State would make a nice addition to any conference... hmmm.... I'm sure it will come to me.... OH YA...

AKA

I'm not sure if this means that this is how we see Boone, or if it references his ability to grow a glorious money-beard at any time. Either way, you probably want this guy involved in your conference.

Haven't heard about the SB Nation Conference Re-draft project? Click here, then here.

As the title of this post suggests, the first two rounds have been concluded, and if I were to sum up the draft in one word, that word would be FOOTBAW!!!!!SEC!!!!!!!FOOTBAW!!!!!!!MONEY!!!!

Here are the results:

Not a lot of golf schools in there.

This really shouldn't be a surprise though. The most effective fantasy draft strategy has always been to take your power with the first 2 picks (usually RB-RB in football), and this draft is no different.  I was hoping there would be the equivalent of the one dude who always likes to get cute and take a WR and a QB with their first two picks, but alas, everyone created a financially solid base for their conference.  Hopefully someone will out-clever themselves and take the equivalent of a tight end in the next couple of rounds.

So there are a lot of schools available, obviously. Who would you take next, and when/where do you think Oklahoma State will go?

Note: There will be a slight format change for the rest of the draft.  From now on we will just be picking at will and reporting the results as often as we want. The method of drafting proved to be much quicker and easier than we anticipated so we should be able to get through this whole thing in the next few weeks.

Haven't heard about the conference re-draft project? Clicky.

We have all fallen for the $100 fantasy draft kit before right?  Oh, I shouldn't take a kicker until the last round? Thanks draft kit... here is my e-cash.  Well I figured that I should follow that model and scam some money out of our fake conference commissioners for this conference re-draft as well. So give me all your paypals BC Interruption, Red Cup Rebellion, Big East Coast Bias, Black Heart Gold Pants, Team Speed Kills and House of Sparky.

Alright, so this really won't be a draft kit that gives advice or anything, more of a resource list that will provide quick access to information that a conference may value in their selection process. Enjoy the value.

The Official CRFF Conference Re-Draft Project Draft Kit/Resource List

Athletic Revenue
Athletic Revenue 2005-2009 (top 150 programs).  This is from a post I did last summer. The numbers are from Equality in Athletics. Here is a snapshot of the top 60 programs over that time period (click the image for a more detailed version).

TV Ratings
Excellent listing of the top 210 media markets, and which universities fall under that market.  In theory, this list shows from top to bottom which schools/programs have the most potential local TV's available to watch their games.
Top 10 viewed games of 2010

Academics
Obligatory US News and World Report rankings. Barf.

Co-Eds
Here are some links to various attractive student body rankings.  Most are horrible (one has Nebraska at #35!?!?!?!?), but they are here for draft reference purposes, not "hey look at these chicks" purposes.  This is where I put my almost daily disclaimer that CRFF is not actually a porn, or a porn linking, site.
Pop Crunch: Top 50 Universities Ranked By Looks
College Prowler: Girl Grades
Busted Coverage: Hottest Girls of the BCS

Historic Success
National Championships by School
Football ("M") National Championships by School
Football Winning Percentage since 1869
Basketball National Championships by School

Rivalries
This one may or may not be considered, but here are some links anyway.  Unfortunately, not a single rivalry ranking lists Farmageddon anywhere, so I'm not sure how much weight we can really give these.
NewsWeek: Top 12 College Rivalries
America's Best Online: Greatest College Football Rivalries
Huffington Post: Greatest College Sports Rivalries
Campus Grotto: 10 Best College Basketball Rivalries

Party Rankings
Thanks to an excellent suggestions by Something Witty, here are the party school rankings that I could dig up.  This should play some kind of a role in school selection after all.  Keep in mind though, the ranking method is obviously subjective instead of being based on something concrete like chug races, or STD rates, or paternity suits per capita, or any other hard facts that there are good times to be had on campus.
Princeton Review Top 20 Party Schools for 2011 ( I cant find the full list anywhere)
Playboy Top Ten Party Schools (I linked to the Huff Post article about it instead of directly so no one gets fired for accidentally porning at work)

That is all I have for now...however, this Draft Kit will evolve as other variables are suggested.  So what other aspects could be included in program evaluation?

Continue reading this post »

As is the case with all apocalypses, it happened without warning, and changed the entire landscape in an instant. One minute revenue sharing, TV deals, and horrible division names were being discussed, the next minute..... nothing. Conference offices were left with no schools to work with, standings and schedules became works of fiction, and the conferences were left with nothing. Not a single team. Not even Baylor.

With a suddenness that was only matched in shock value by its unfathomable-ness, no one could have predicted the simultaneous secession of every school, from every NCAA conference, in every sport. Hundreds of schools abandoning long standing ties for reasons that at this point still cannot be comprehended. Children wept - hell, old men wept - the air around every campus was filled with a potent mixture of uncertainty and distress that could almost be tasted when inhaled. Simply put, in a single moment, the landscape of college athletics was completely destroyed.... but, as is the case with all great beings when they have been knocked down, in it's next next moment, the conferences were ready for a rebirth.

And that is what brings us here today, to re-build this burned down empire. Thanks to the blessings of the blog-Gods, select SB Nation bloggers have been tasked with re-drafting the six BCS-AQ conferences. The starting point is: nothing. Only a blank slate of hundreds of schools to select from. The only expectations of the blogger who will be selecting schools for their conference will be to create their idea of the best possible conference based on revenue, prestige, approval, and any other factors they deem appropriate for conference building.  These six beasts will be resurrected in the image of those who love them best, and the empire that is college athletics will return stronger, more pure, and closer to perfection than the system before it that was unceremoniously burned to the ground.

For all the ground rules on the re-draft, check out the next post.