(09-17-2024, 08:25 AM)James Dean Wrote: Not counting football (and, yes, I know - lots of people think that's all that counts) the ACC is the strongest conference in the country. It won more Olympic medals by far, for example.
Academically it is the best conference (again, I recognize that many view this as irrelevant.)
To be fair, any conference that has Stanford and Cal is likely to lead all other universities in Olympic medal count, given that Stanford and Cal were #1 and #2 in that endeavor in the 2024 Olympics (per Forbes).
I like the fact that the ACC is the best conference academically (though the Ivy League might protest a bit...). Seriously, though...here's the 2024 USNWR ratings of the ACC members. Yes, I know it's flawed, like all rankings, but...commonly accepted. Sue me.
Stanford, #3
Duke, #7
Cal, #15
Notre Dame, #20
North Carolina, #22
Virginia, #24,
Georgia Tech, #33
Boston College, #39
Wake Forest, #47
Virginia Tech, #47
Florida State, #53
NC State, #60
Syracuse, #67
Miami, #67
Pittsburgh, #67
Clemson, #86
Southern Methodist, #89
Louisville, #195
Interesting that the conference has six universities in the Top 25, ten in the top 50, 15 of the 18 in the Top 75, and all but one in the top 100. That's a packed conference, academically speaking. Pretty cool.