1) .786 Texas
2) .714 Oklahoma
3) .670 Nebraska
4) .589 Kansas State (tie)
4) .589 Texas Tech (tie)
6) .518 Colorado (tie)
6) .518 Texas A&M (tie)
8) .464 Missouri
9) .438 Oklahoma State
10) .313 Kansas
11) .277 Iowa State
12) .125 Baylor

Poor Baylor never belonged in a real conference. They have averaged exactly one win a season in conference.

More than 2,000 people were watching on the Internet, organizers said.

In addition, coach Leach called in, and the cell phone call was placed over the (not very loud) loudspeakers.

Organizers said Texas Tech would not allow them to have louder speakers.

More photos later on my Flickr account!

When the Texas Tech Red Raiders look into the stands during the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, players may feel as if they’re playing a home game at Jones AT&T Stadium.

If Raider Nation does its job, there will be 60,000 red and black clad fans compared to 5,000 wearing the green and white of the Michigan State Spartans.

This bowl game can be special, said Rick Hill, vice president of marketing and communications for the Alamo Bowl.

Due to this year’s calendar, the Alamo Bowl falls on Jan. 2, prime-time bowling. The game is unopposed on national television, airing at 8 p.m. CST on ESPN.

This is an excellent chance for Tech fans to gain national television exposure by packing the Alamodome and build upon the impression made against Baylor in the new Cowboys stadium Thanksgiving weekend.

Baylor seats sold up until game time, and Hill said that he expects these seats to continue to sell until kickoff. The Alamo Bowl staff are hoping for a capacity crowd, and they’ve made sure to have a student-friendly price point of $25 through the Tech Ticket office.

Seats remain at all levels, although some seating areas are beginning to tighten.

San Antonio is an amazing destination city, and the River Walk and two theme parks await visitors, Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

Tech students have the chance to set an Alamo Bowl attendance record and solidify their reputation as a team that travels well.

I’ll be there to cover the social media angle, including how officials there use their @valermoalamobowl Twitter account.

As a journalist, I covered Division I athletics for the New Mexico State student paper, a now defunct regional sports monthly, the Las Cruces Sun-News, and even as a stringer for Sports Illustrated (sadly the latter stuff never was published).

But I never covered a bowl game.

So I’m excited about this opportunity. There are a lot of interesting media professionals in San Antonio skilled in social media, and I’ll be attempting to check in on them there and report back here.

Stay tuned.

I’m thankful that laughter filled my house on Thanksgiving Day. My parents, beautiful wife, children, friends, and some of my best students came together to eat turkey, watch football, and imbibe.

Speaking of students, I am especially thankful for mine. From doctoral students to sophomores, this semester has affirmed my decision to be an educator. Working with young people provides endless rewards, and I love going to work to help them reach their dreams. I’m also especially glad that they’re comfortable enough to share a holiday meal at my house when they’re away from home.

The undergraduate students are fueling a transformation in our curriculum that is unprecedented. They’re talented and driven, and their drive is helping change this place for the better every day. Rather than a routine degree, they’re helping change this into a toy factory for the creatively minded. It’s so awesome going to work.

Amazing Graduate Students

I’m especially thankful for my lab. I’m fond of the space and the equipment, but I am especially appreciative for the people. They love to learn, and that cannot be taught. They are hard working, talented, and bright. Each graduate student (and indeed each professor who occasionally hangs out) brings something unique and powerful to the table. And I look forward to each Wednesday morning to hear their ideas.

I’m thankful for Wes’ inquisitive power, Curtis’ big ideas, Kelli’s all-around awesomeness, Brandon’s grasp of summation notation, and Sungwon’s dedicated work ethic. I’m thankful for Leslie’s thesis idea and that Michelle hangs out in the lab. I’m thankful for all of the other graduate students who come and go, and I’m thankful for Tech’s new Center for Undergraduate Research.

Two Decades Later

Since we just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the day we met – and we met on Thanksgiving – I am especially thankful for my wife, Emily. She truly is my best friend, and she still takes my breath away two decades later. I’m also thankful for Jack Daniels and orange Tic Tacs.

I’m thankful for my education, which continues to this day. I made a lot of poor choices as a young person, and only this great country still provides the opportunity to achieve one’s potential after so many missteps. I’m thankful that my undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral mentors are still a part of my life.

I’m thankful that I have MATLAB and Java software to test out my crazy ideas. I’m more likely to spend a Sunday fitting a model than playing golf, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A Good Sports Year

I’m thankful for our eccentric pirate football coach. I’m thankful for ridiculous comebacks and going for it on fourth and long. I’m thankful for gaudy passing numbers and an ever improving defense. I’m thankful Bill Snyder is returning my Wildcats to national relevance, and I’m thankful that the Chiefs show signs of life. I’m thankful that the Royals have a Cy Young winner and that they’re still in my hometown. I’m thankful that Pat Knight’s basketball team looks tough this year, and I’m thankful that coach Knight took time out to meet and help recruit my colleague Johnny Sparks to Tech. Next year, I hope I’m thankful for having met his dad.

I’m thankful for the orange, yellow, and white lights that will soon decorate this campus. I’m thankful for the Spanish architecture and the three flags unfurled against a royal blue sky in Memorial Circle. I’m thankful for victory bells and Soapsuds dressed in red. I’m thankful for coffee walks with students and coworkers, and I’m thankful for the ideas that come to life in the beautiful glass enclosure of the second floor of the Student Union Building. I’m thankful for the beautiful strolls through National Ranching Heritage Center.

Thanks for Everything, Dad

I’m thankful that my dad recently turned 81, yet he was here for Thanksgiving, even walking to the park and playing with the kids. I’m thankful that mom was here, too, with enchiladas and sweet potatoes. I’m thankful for Emily’s mashed potatoes, which contain more butter than spud, I think. I’m almost sad that the leftovers are dwindling.

It Made Me Hungry to Write This

I’m thankful for fish tempura tacos at Fuzzy’s and fajitas at Lujan’s. I’m thankful for steak sizzling in butter at Las Brisas and combination fried rice from Thai Pepper. I’m thankful for a plate of nachos from Chimy’s and Taco Tuesday at Rosa’s. I’m thankful for almost anything from Dairy Queen or Sonic, and I’m thankful for road trips with Wes Wise that always include a detour for some of Texas’ best barbecue.

I’m thankful that two of my favorite people will be here next month to receive their doctoral hoods at graduation. I’m thankful Texas Tech has become such an amazing place to work. I’m thankful for all of the kind words people said during the tenure process so far, and I’m thankful to have such strong support from my dean and colleagues. I’m thankful to have the best chair in academics, a man who leads with inspiration but is also a friend.

Land of Enchantment

I’m thankful that New Mexico’s mountains and green chiles are just a few hours west. I’m thankful to have stood at Sandia Crest this year, and I’m thankful I’ll be hiking down Sandia in a few months’ time. I’m thankful to have seen so many undergraduate friends at homecoming this year, and I’m glad to have met their kids.

And as much as I have listed here, there’s so much more for which to be thankful. Those will have to wait until next year. For now, as the movie says, it’s a wonderful life.

I work at Texas Tech, a member of the Big XII Conference. I grew up in Kansas City, which was the heart of the former Big 8 Conference. I also earned my master’s degree at Kansas State, so I am partial to the Big XII. Bad news for me below.

My Ph.D. is from Indiana, and my first faculty position was at Ohio State, so I am partial to the Big Ten, too.

Some of my other colleagues are from Southeastern Conference schools, and I was talking smack about the traditional football powerhouse conference.

So I wondered how the conferences stack up academically. It’s difficult to pick any one metric for academic success, but I decided to go with research funding. Research is the lifeblood of major universities, and funding fuels that research. I turned to the Center for Measuring University Performance and their 2007 Top American Research University Report.

So how do the conferences of the Bowl Championship Series stack up?

Well, it’s not quite easy to tell. Apples and oranges, and something like that. Some university totals appear to include their medical school and some don’t. So there’s no total for Baylor University, which suggests they have less than $20 million in annual federal research funding. However, Baylor College of Medicine had $458,694 in research funding in 2005. To include or not include? Also, there is no amount for Boston College. Pittsburgh leads the Big East, and if it were not for Pitt (which surely includes their medical school), the Big East would average about half of the next lowest conference.

No matter Baylor’s fate (I decided to exclude the medical college), the news is not good for the current top powers in football. The Big XII and SEC have the top four ranked teams in the land and five of the top seven. However, gridiron greatness does not translate to research power.

The Big XII is dead last among the six BCS conferences, and the SEC is fourth (if you include Baylor’s medical school, the Big XII jumps to fourth).

The Big Ten, led by Michigan, leads the way. Although, the Big Ten is “down” this year, Michigan is the most successful program in college football. So these data may be spurious. Florida also tops the SEC in football and research dollars.

In rank order, here are the final data for average annual funding for each institution for 2005 and 2004.

Conference, Average Amount, Top Program
Big Ten, $477,259,000, (that school up north)
Pac 10, $422,266,000, UCLA
ACC, $296,778,000, Duke
SEC, $210,054,000, Florida
Big East, $209,668,000, Pittsburgh
Big XII, $201,376,000, Texas A&M