<p>It's no secret that the Big Ten is the best major conference academically from top to bottom. With the new USNWR rankings out, every Big Ten institution is in the Top 75 Nationally. And with the current economy and the values these schools present, most will only be going up. Do you think it is a stretch that all eleven schools could possibly be in the top fifty in the next decade or so?</p>
<p>Currently:</p>
<p>12-Northwestern
27-Michigan
39-Wisconsin
39-Illinois
47-Penn State
53-Ohio State
61-Purdue
61-Minnesota
71-Indiana
71-Michigan State
71-Iowa</p>
<p>The Big Ten schools are an outstanding collection of institutions irrespective of US News rankings, good or bad. It’s the only conference in which all member schools are also members of the Association of American Universities. That says much more than these rankings.</p>
<p>The media rankings exist for one reason only – to sell media. They are irrelevant to the missions of these institutions. If US News stopped issuing the rankings, would it have any material effect on the Universities themselves? If it did, I suspect it would be a positive one.</p>
<p>Jeez I’m still having a hard time believing that Minnesota didn’t move up at all this year after last year’s nice jump. Oh well maybe next there they could MAYBE get a top 50 spot or at least leap frog Ohio State.</p>
<p>Anyway, enough whining on my part. The Big Ten is one solid SPORTS conference. It shows that even though the Midwest doesn’t have many top-notch privates like the Northeast, it still has some of the best public schools in the nation.</p>
<p>Maybe 1 more might get into the Top 50. Either UMinn or OSU. Tough to find room for more as others have to fall. Some of the lower UCs seem way overrated.</p>
<p>The Big 10 is better up and down than the ACC, but the ACC is better at the top. It really just has FSU bringing it down in the rankings. Honestly, I think it is splitting hairs to argue that a school like Iowa, Virginia Tech, etc. is that much better than FSU, which has some fantastic programs.
Both are the top academic conferences though.</p>
<p>I started a thread several months ago about the best athletic conferences (academically). I averaged out the individual rankings of the Big 10, ACC, and PAC 10. I believe the ACC beat out the Big 10 by two spots… but I’ll look at the new rankings and see who the winner is. </p>
<p>I don’t think all of the Big 10 schools will make it into the top 50… too many schools would have to fall (although, I agree with barrons that some of the UC schools are way overrated, mostly because of their limitation to regional influence and the 10% rule). But it wouldn’t surprise me if a couple of the Big 10 schools moved into the top 50 (most likely UMinn and OSU). </p>
<p>However, I am surprised that UMN didn’t move up at all this year. But doesn’t USNews use stats from the year before? If so, UMN will move up next year.</p>
<p>I agree with WW. Both the ACC and Big 10 have some great and very good schools top to bottom. The ACC probably has more recent upward mobility along with the rise of the South overall.</p>
The Big 10 is not the only NCAA conference with this distinction. All eight member schools of the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference are also members of the Association of American Universities (AAU). </p>
<p>Granted, the UAA is an NCAA Division III conference. So the Big Ten may be the only Division I conference to consist exclusively of AAU members (the Ivy League, for example, does not qualify, because Dartmouth is not an AAU member). </p>
<p>Coincidentally, the University of Chicago was a founding member of both the Big Ten and the UAA.</p>
<p>University of Chicago is not only the founding member of the Big Ten. In terms of academic, Uchicago is still part of the ‘Academic Big Ten’, namely, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). </p>
<p>I wouldn’t be surprised to see MSU climb some more. I live in michigan and have watched an extremely large number of extremely bright students pick state over michigan and other very good oos schools. Also, their football team is on the rise with a solid head coach, and obviously that helps a lot because football is a money maker, more money gets better facilities etc.</p>
<p>RageRoolz, I agreed! These days, MSU does feel more like THE flagship university for the state of Michigan than UM in terms of sports both in Bball and Fball. Also, in terms of Academics, as an alumnus, I am thrilled the fact that MSU recently won the $550+ millions FRIB facility from the DOE and the landing of the IBM Global Delivery Center will definitely trigger tremendous scholastic as well as enormous economic impacts to the greater Lansing area in the foreseeable future. </p>
<p>Purdue is 22nd-ranked public university
University rises in public, overall rankings</p>
<p>Published : Thursday, 20 Aug 2009, 12:22 PM EDT</p>
<p>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - US News and World Report ranks Purdue University 22nd among the nation’s public universities. </p>
<p>The ranking is four places up from Purdue’s ranking of 26th last year.</p>
<p>Purdue also ranked 61st among ALL universities, tied with Clemson, Fordham, Texas A and M, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.</p>
<p>This also is an improvement for Purdue, which ranked 66th last year.</p>
<p>University President France Cordova says higher graduation rates and more classes with fewer students helped Purdue improve its rankings.</p>
<p>Purdue’s College of Engineering tied for ninth nationally among doctoral-granting universities, sharing the spot with both Cornell University and the University of Texas at Austin.</p>
<p>The Krannert School of Management shared the 21st position with Georgetown University, Pennsylvania State and the University of Washington.</p>