AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 07
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
What’s up, or down, with Duke?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Less to talk about here today on Tech than on the next opponent: Duke.
Why do the Blue Devils stink so bad? It’s one thing to stink, but to routinely be terrible is another. Why does it happen? And don’t just trot out tough admissions standards. That’s a copout at Duke just as it is everywhere the excuse is used.
One theory I’ve heard recently (not for the first time) is that the football team does not get the same leeway in recruiting that the mens basketball team or the womens basketball team get when it comes to marginally-qualified student-athletes. Now that’s more plausible, though perhaps not enough to completely explain the huge disparity between the Blue Devils and the rest of the ACC.
Good luck proving or disproving that theory without SAT scores, transcripts and a look at how often each coach succeeds in pleading his/her case for exemptions to the school’s admission standards.
I know this from having seen Duke’s stadium (without yet seeing a game in it): that place doesn’t help recruiting. I don’t know much about football facilities up there otherwise, though. It probably doesn’t encourage prospects to know that they’re going to be not second-class citizens in the sports world at Duke, but more like third-class. Mens and womens hoops trump all.
That said, it’s certainly possible to succeed at a high level in both football and basketball. See Florida, Ohio State, Texas, etc. (easy enough to add to this list, like LSU, which was in the Final Four a couple years ago, and so on).
All I know for sure is Duke’s not good at all in football. As it’s not a public institution, and therefore not subject to freedom of information requests, it’s not an easy thing to explain, unless maybe you’re John Feinstein. John, what say you?
Matt
