New FY22 Research Rankings are out:
Mizzou moved up from #71 to #70. Not as big of a jump as I had thought, but it was a record high year for Mizzou on research so we're moving in the right direction. And it’s good to remember we were all the way back at #88 a few years ago, so it’s been a big improvement. Mizzou built the NextGen center and just recently started the $1.5 billion MizzouForward campaign to increase research, so I still fully expect we’ll get up into the 50s over the next several years and will be ranked around where Colorado, Iowa, Virginia Tech and Georgia are ranked. Then, once we build the new nuclear research reactor, we could maybe make another big jump and maybe get into the top 50 around Rutgers/Virginia/Utah, but that’s a decade or more off. (For context, Mizzou was once a top 50 school long ago, which is why we're in the AAU, we're trying to restore ourselves back to that level).
The AAU has expanded, and there are now several AAU schools ranked behind Mizzou. They’re not at the bottom anymore. It would still be good to move up another 10 spots or so to be safe, but I think we’re pretty solid. Speaking of AAU, there are 3 SEC schools that are trying to get in that are making good progress. All saw good increases this year: Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. I think all three have a shot of eventually getting in. The SEC currently has 5 AAU members: Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Mizzou. If Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma got in, and then the SEC added UNC and Virginia, then they could have 10 AAU members, which would be second only to the Big Ten. I'm not sure if it will happen, but it might.
A few other notes: kU fell from #71 to #74. They did not have a great year. I wouldn’t say they’re necessarily going to get kicked out of the AAU but they’re living a bit dangerously if they keep moving down like that. It seems like 50s and 60s you're probably pretty safe. 80s or lower you tend to get kicked out. So kU's kind of borderline.
Nebraska also continues to decline after getting kicked out of the AAU a few years ago.
The top half of the SEC is pretty solid. The bottom fourth is pretty weak.
Most of the new B1G schools fit in well there, except Oregon, yikes.
If you notice, religious schools don’t do a lot of research, so that explains some of the low numbers by religious private schools in the Big 12 and ACC.
If you were wondering why Stanford and Cal took way less money to fly across the country to join the ACC rather than join the Big 12, look at the lists below. Stanford and Cal didn’t see themselves as a fit with the Big 12 schools, but they do see themselves as a fit with the ACC. Some schools really care about this.
Similarly, the fact that the top half of the SEC is pretty respectable at this point may help convince UNC that it's ok to join the SEC in the coming years. We’ll see.
SEC
23. Texas A&M
24. Vanderbilt
25. Florida
35. Texas
56. Georgia
61. Kentucky
***70. Mizzou
72. Oklahoma
84. LSU
89. Tennessee
96. Auburn
97. Mississippi State
119. South Carolina
138. Arkansas
145. Alabama
148. Ole Miss
Big 12
37. Arizona
38. Arizona State
47. Utah
49. Cincinnati
50. Colorado
74. kansas
76. Iowa State
113. Houston
120. Texas Tech
122. UCF
126. West Virginia
127. Kansas State
137. Oklahoma State
188. Baylor
222. BYU
298. TCU
B1G
4. Michigan
5. Washington
6. UCLA
8. Wisconsin
11. Ohio State
19. Maryland
20. Minnesota
27. USC
28. Penn State
29. Northwestern
39. Illinois
40. Michigan State
41. Purdue
42. Indiana
46. Rutgers
52. Iowa
87. Nebraska
146. Oregon
ACC
9. Duke
10. Stanford
12. UNC
16. Pitt
17. Georgia Tech
36. Cal
48. Virginia
53. Virginia Tech
55. NC State
69. Miami
82. Florida State
102. Notre Dame
107. Wake Forest
108. Clemson
118. Louisville
147. Syracuse
184. Boston College
199. SMU
Mizzou moved up from #71 to #70. Not as big of a jump as I had thought, but it was a record high year for Mizzou on research so we're moving in the right direction. And it’s good to remember we were all the way back at #88 a few years ago, so it’s been a big improvement. Mizzou built the NextGen center and just recently started the $1.5 billion MizzouForward campaign to increase research, so I still fully expect we’ll get up into the 50s over the next several years and will be ranked around where Colorado, Iowa, Virginia Tech and Georgia are ranked. Then, once we build the new nuclear research reactor, we could maybe make another big jump and maybe get into the top 50 around Rutgers/Virginia/Utah, but that’s a decade or more off. (For context, Mizzou was once a top 50 school long ago, which is why we're in the AAU, we're trying to restore ourselves back to that level).
The AAU has expanded, and there are now several AAU schools ranked behind Mizzou. They’re not at the bottom anymore. It would still be good to move up another 10 spots or so to be safe, but I think we’re pretty solid. Speaking of AAU, there are 3 SEC schools that are trying to get in that are making good progress. All saw good increases this year: Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. I think all three have a shot of eventually getting in. The SEC currently has 5 AAU members: Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Mizzou. If Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma got in, and then the SEC added UNC and Virginia, then they could have 10 AAU members, which would be second only to the Big Ten. I'm not sure if it will happen, but it might.
A few other notes: kU fell from #71 to #74. They did not have a great year. I wouldn’t say they’re necessarily going to get kicked out of the AAU but they’re living a bit dangerously if they keep moving down like that. It seems like 50s and 60s you're probably pretty safe. 80s or lower you tend to get kicked out. So kU's kind of borderline.
Nebraska also continues to decline after getting kicked out of the AAU a few years ago.
The top half of the SEC is pretty solid. The bottom fourth is pretty weak.
Most of the new B1G schools fit in well there, except Oregon, yikes.
If you notice, religious schools don’t do a lot of research, so that explains some of the low numbers by religious private schools in the Big 12 and ACC.
If you were wondering why Stanford and Cal took way less money to fly across the country to join the ACC rather than join the Big 12, look at the lists below. Stanford and Cal didn’t see themselves as a fit with the Big 12 schools, but they do see themselves as a fit with the ACC. Some schools really care about this.
Similarly, the fact that the top half of the SEC is pretty respectable at this point may help convince UNC that it's ok to join the SEC in the coming years. We’ll see.
SEC
23. Texas A&M
24. Vanderbilt
25. Florida
35. Texas
56. Georgia
61. Kentucky
***70. Mizzou
72. Oklahoma
84. LSU
89. Tennessee
96. Auburn
97. Mississippi State
119. South Carolina
138. Arkansas
145. Alabama
148. Ole Miss
Big 12
37. Arizona
38. Arizona State
47. Utah
49. Cincinnati
50. Colorado
74. kansas
76. Iowa State
113. Houston
120. Texas Tech
122. UCF
126. West Virginia
127. Kansas State
137. Oklahoma State
188. Baylor
222. BYU
298. TCU
B1G
4. Michigan
5. Washington
6. UCLA
8. Wisconsin
11. Ohio State
19. Maryland
20. Minnesota
27. USC
28. Penn State
29. Northwestern
39. Illinois
40. Michigan State
41. Purdue
42. Indiana
46. Rutgers
52. Iowa
87. Nebraska
146. Oregon
ACC
9. Duke
10. Stanford
12. UNC
16. Pitt
17. Georgia Tech
36. Cal
48. Virginia
53. Virginia Tech
55. NC State
69. Miami
82. Florida State
102. Notre Dame
107. Wake Forest
108. Clemson
118. Louisville
147. Syracuse
184. Boston College
199. SMU
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