After my last conference realignment article on MAC Expansion, there was a lot of discussion in the comments about whether or not Appalachian State would raise or lower the academic profile of the MAC. The question can be expanded to include C-USA and the Sun Belt. In this article, I try to add some hard numbers into the conversation.

There is no good way to compare universities head to head. Some are large, some are small. Some are public, some are private. They concentrate on different areas and have different missions. But screw it let’s try to compare them anyway. I used the U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings to compare using both acceptance rate and overall rank. It isn’t a perfect system but it’s the best I could come up with.

In particular, you’ll notice the divide between “National” & “Regional” universities. The difference is found in the number of doctoral programs offered, not necessarily the quality of education.  For example, Villanova is a regional university and the University of Phoenix Online is a national university. They just have different missions. One is not automatically better than the other. Let’s get started with the MAC:

MAC – Acceptance Rate

Buffalo – 51.4%

Northern Illinois – 54.34%

Ball State – 64.63%

Eastern Michigan – 66.37%

Massachusetts – 67.6%

Appalachian State – 67.7%

Central Michigan – 72.53%

Akron – 72.56%

Miami (OH) – 78.8%

Bowling Green State – 80.1%

Western Michigan – 84.34%

Ohio – 85.1%

Kent State – 88.65%

Toledo – 90.36%

 

MAC – US News & World Report Rank

Appalachian State – #10 Regional (South)

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Eastern Michigan – #81 National

Miami (OH) – #90 National

Massachusetts – #94 National

Buffalo – #111 National

Ohio – #124 National

Bowling Green State – #177 National

Ball State – #181 (tie) National

Western Michigan – #181 (tie) National

Kent State – #194 (tie) National

Northern Illinois – #194 (tie) National

Toledo – Rank Not Published / National

Akron – Rank Not Published / National

Central Michigan – Rank Not Published / National

MAC Conclusion

Appalachian State would be the smallest school in the MAC, but not by a lot. It would be the only regional University in the MAC, which makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to compare rankings. When comparing acceptance rates, Appalachian State would be in the upper-middle of the pack. Overall, as an institution Appalachian State does not degrade from the academic prestige of the MAC. However, the size and mission do not quite match others in the MAC. – Could Work / Not Ideal

C-USA – Acceptance Rate

Rice – 21.29%

Tulane – 25.98%

Tulsa – 39.11%

Florida International – 39.5%

Southern Miss. – 59.72%

LA Tech – 60.82%

North Texas – 65.29%

Appalachian State – 67.7%

Old Dominion – 69.34%

East Carolina – 69.53%

UNC-Charlotte – 71.5%

UAB – 82.43%

UTSA – 83.25%

Marshall – 83.96%

UTEP – 99.2%

 

C-USA – U.S. News & World Report Rank

Appalachian State – #10 Regional (South)

Marshall – #39 Regional (South)

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Rice – #17 National

Tulane – #50 National

Tulsa – #75 National

UAB – #143 National

LA Tech – #194 (tie) National

East Carolina – #194 (tie) National

UNC-Charlotte – #194 (tie) National

Southern Miss. – Rank Not Published / National

UTEP – Rank Not Published / National

Florida International – Rank Not Published / National

North Texas – Rank Not Published / National

Old Dominion – Rank Not Published / National

UTSA – Rank Not Published / National

C-USA Conclusion

Like the MAC, C-USA is composed of mostly national institutions. The top of C-USA is actually of better academic quality than the MAC, but the bottom is way lower. Appalachian State is ranked far higher than the only regional university in the conference, Marshall. In regards to acceptance rate, App would be middle of the pack. – Better Fit than the MAC / Still Not Perfect

Sun-Belt – Acceptance Rate

FAU – 50.73%

Georgia State – 51.83%

Louisiana – Lafayette – 66.88%

Appalachian State – 67.7%

Louisiana – Monroe – 69.94%

Arkansas State – 70.07%

Texas- Arlington – 70.14%

MTSU – 71.25%

Troy – 71.47%

Texas State – 75.54%

South Alabama – 86.45%

Arkansas – Little Rock – 87.31%

Western Kentucky – 92.49%

 

Sun-Belt – U.S. News & World Report Rank

Appalachian State – #10 Regional (South)

Western Kentucky – #36 Regional (South)

Texas State – #39 Regional (West)

Troy – #63 (tie) Regional (South)

Arkansas State – #63 (tie) Regional (South)

Louisiana – Monroe – Rank Not Published / Regional (South)

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FAU – Rank Not Published / National

MTSU – Rank Not Published / National

South Alabama – Rank Not Published / National

Arkansas – Little Rock – Rank Not Published / National

Louisiana – Lafayette – Rank Not Published / National

Texas- Arlington – Rank Not Published / National

Georgia State – Rank Not Published / National

Sun-Belt Conclusion

The Sun-Belt is obviously the weakest of the 3 since only 4 of the schools are even ranked and they are not that high. It is almost a 50/50 split of regional and national universities. Of the regional universities, Appalachian State would be the highest ranked by far. In regards to acceptance rate overall, App would be near the top. It is clear that App would not only fit in, but add to the academic reputation of the Sun-Belt – Best Fit of the 3 Conferences