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What is a major?


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Was thinking about this in the shower this morning. What makes a team a major? A mid-major? Etc.

Here is a starter. A major is a school that has been to the NCAA Tournament three out of the past five years, or five out of the past ten. A mid-major would be 2/5, or 4/10, with two NIT's equalling one NCAA. Half credit for one NIT doesn't count. Can someone come up with a computer program to come up with the schools that would qualify under those criteria?

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>Was thinking about this in the shower this morning. What

>makes a team a major? A mid-major? Etc.

>

>Here is a starter. A major is a school that has been to the

>NCAA Tournament three out of the past five years, or five

>out of the past ten. A mid-major would be 2/5, or 4/10,

>with two NIT's equalling one NCAA. Half credit for one NIT

>doesn't count. Can someone come up with a computer program

>to come up with the schools that would qualify under those

>criteria?

Absolutely wrong. The terms "high-major," "mid-major," and "low-major" have nothing to do with level of success over any given period of time. Instead, they pertain to (1) conference affiliation and (2) the level of competition at which the majority of the football teams in the given conference compete. High-majors are schools in conferences which compete in football at the 1-A level. Mid-majors are schools in conferences which compete in football at the 1-AA level.

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>Then by definition an all-basketball merger with the Big

>East Catholic schools would be mid-major. Maybe this isn't

>such a great idea after all . . .

I've thought about that, too, but I'm not worried. Perhaps the definition of "high-major" and "mid-major" would change in the eyes of the journalists, but even if it doesn't the NCAA would respect the proposed new conference (assuming it ever comes to fruition) like a high-major. It's because of the tradition and history of the conference's members.

Also, I may have provided a slightly incorrect definition in my haste to respond. While it's still dependent upon conference membership and may currently be tied to level of football competition, what it really comes down to is legislative representation. The high-major conferences each get multiple representation on some influential governing committee that I don't know the name of right now, and the mid-major conferences each get one representative. Votes is the bottom line. With prominent members in major cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, the proposed new conference would definitely have clout and multiple representation. You can be sure that the conference would annually get four to six NCAA Tournament invitations.

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So Thicks, in your opinion a major has nothing to do with a team, or a program, but the conference to which it belongs?

Cincy is not a major program in Bball?

What got me thinking about this was the post below about someone stating that Butler would have to be thought of as more than a mid major, due to their recent success. Should Butler continue its string of NCAA appearances, and get to a sweet sixteen or two, I would have to think of that program as a major in bball. Especially if the coach decides to stay and not move on to another program, to continue to build what he started years earlier.

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>So Thicks, in your opinion a major has nothing to do with a

>team, or a program, but the conference to which it belongs?

It's not a matter of being my opinion; it is the definition.

>Cincy is not a major program in Bball?

Cincinnati is definitely a high-major athletics program. Conference USA has Div. 1-A football.

>What got me thinking about this was the post below about

>someone stating that Butler would have to be thought of as

>more than a mid major, due to their recent success. Should

>Butler continue its string of NCAA appearances, and get to a

>sweet sixteen or two, I would have to think of that program

>as a major in bball. Especially if the coach decides to

>stay and not move on to another program, to continue to

>build what he started years earlier.

As a member of the Horizon, Butler can't be considered anything above a mid-major. The level of success they've had doesn't change that. The same thing applies to Gonzaga. Nor does the lack of success that Northwestern has had in basketball make them a mid-major as opposed to a high-major.

I think many fans try to use the terms "high-major" (or just "major") and "mid-major" synonymously with "top-notch" and "mediocre," respectively. Technically, that's incorrect. There are mediocre high-major programs, and there are top-notch mid-major programs.

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The terms "high-major," "mid-major," and

>"low-major" have nothing to do with level of success over

>any given period of time. Instead, they pertain to (1)

>conference affiliation and (2) the level of competition at

>which the majority of the football teams in the given

>conference compete. High-majors are schools in conferences

>which compete in football at the 1-A level. Mid-majors are

>schools in conferences which compete in football at the 1-AA

>level.

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