Analysis of the data revealed benefits in these three areas

Another tool to rank colleges and universities is the APR: the Academic Progress Rate. In 2003, the NCAA created the APR to monitor academic progress at its member institutions. The APR is a formula that measures semester-by-semester academic progress based on the eligibility and retention of each scholarship student-athlete. A perfect APR score is 1,000. Programs that don’t meet minimum requirements, including scoring at least 925, are subject to losing scholarships. CBSSports.com completed a study of APR averages. The study was based on data obtained between 2003-04 and 2009-10; the data came directly from the NCAA.

In a ranking of Bowl Championship Series (BCS) schools, ACC schools held four of the top 10 spots, and the ACC was ranked number one overall as a conference. In comparison, Louisville, a member of the Big East, had the worst ranking among BCS schools. The Big East was ranked fifth out of 11 as a conference.

Figure 5

The NCAA’s last APR was completed in May 2011; that report contained data submitted for the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 academic years. The University of Pittsburgh has always had good APR scores. Men’s basketball had a score of 985 (out of 1,000). Football had a score of 949. These scores are much more suited to a conference such as the ACC, whose average is 961.7. The Big East average APR is 942.9.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Analysis of athletic benefits, the success of non-revenue sports, and academic benefits leads to the following conclusions and recommendations about the impact of the University of Pittsburgh moving from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference:

1. 
   The ACC currently has a television contract with ESPN that is worth $1.86 billion over 12 years. If Pittsburgh does join the ACC, the deal will be renegotiated in favor of a higher dollar amount. Currently, each ACC member school earns $12.9 million a year from the contract; that number would only go up once renegotiated. The Big East Conference is making $200 million over 6 years. That is a $1.46 billion difference between conferences.
   
   
2. 
   The ACC’s syndication contract with Raycom Sports will expand ACC football games into 40 new markets nationwide. The University of Pittsburgh will benefit from gaining this additional national exposure.
   
   
3. 
   In the past, schools that have moved from the Big East to the ACC have reaped the benefits of stronger competition. Numerous ACC sports – women’s soccer, wrestling, men’s soccer, baseball, and track & field – have several schools ranked nationally. Stronger competition leads to Pittsburgh teams improving.
   
   
4. 
   The university will experience an increase in academic reputation as a member of the ACC. ACC schools are ranked higher in both BCS ranking and APR ranking.
   
   
5. 
   All of these factors will lead to an increase in attention for the university, and hence attract more potential students than ever before.
   

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Dinich, H. (2011, September 19). ACC adds Big East's Pitt, Syracuse. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6988468/acc-accepts-pittsburgh-panthers-syracuse-orange-14-team-league

Dosh, K. (2011, June 20). Which football and basketball programs produce the largest profits? Retrieved from http://businessofcollegesports.com/2011/06/20/which-football-and-basketball-programs-produce-the-largest-profits/

Fittipaldo, R. (2011, October 02). Pitt expects non-revenue sports to benefit from ACC move. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11275/1179152-233.stm

Furlong, M. (2011, October 30). Wresting: Team reacts to Pitt's move to ACC. The Pitt News. Retrieved from http://pittnews.com/newsstory/wrestling-team-reacts-to-pitts-move-to-acc/

Masteralexis, L. P., Barr, C. A., & Hums, M. A. (2011). Principles and practice of sport management. (4 ed., pp. 172-174). New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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  McMurphy, B. (2011, June 15). APR rankings show ACC getting it done in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.cbssports.com/print/collegefootball/story/15234331/apr-rankings-show-acc-getting-it-done-in-the-classroom
  
  
  

Smith, M. & Ourand, J. (2011). Expanding ACC will reopen ESPN deal. Sports Business Journal, 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com

Staff Editorial. (2011, September 19). Editorial: Pitt's new roll in ACC should be academic, not just athletic. The Pitt News. Retrieved from http://pittnews.com/newsstory/editorial-pitts-new-role-in-acc-should-be-academic-not-just-athletic/

Staff Writer. (2011, September 13). ACC tops BCS conference in academic rankings. Retrieved from http://www.beyondusports.com/acc-top-bcs-conference-academic-rankings/

Starkey, J. (2011, September 18). Starkey: Pitt to ACC sensible, sad. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/college/s_757439.html

Trietley, G. (2011, October 04). Trietley: What to expect from ACC. The Pitt News. Retrieved from http://pittnews.com/newsstory/trietley-what-to-expect-from-the-acc/

Trietley, G. & Anzur, J. (2011, September 22). Soccer: Teams react to Pitt's decision to join ACC. The Pitt News. Retrieved from http://pittnews.com/newsstory/soccer-teams-react-to-pitts-decision-to-join-acc/

U.S. News Staff. (2010, March 15). Athletic conference breakdown: Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2010/03/15/athletic-conference-breakdown-atlantic-coast-conference