http://www.wkusports.com/genrel/051214aab.html

Quote:In total, 10 WKU teams finished in the top-three of their respective league standings in 2013-14.


May 12, 2014

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU has clinched the 2014 Sun Belt Conference all-sports championship, given annually to the conference school that accumulates the most points throughout the athletic year based on its finish in the league standings in each sport.

The Bubas Cup, named for the Sun Belt Conference's first commissioner, Vic Bubas, was first handed out in 1977.

"I congratulate our coaches and student-athletes on winning the 2014 Bubas Cup," Director of Athletics Todd Stewart said. "When we met as a group last August, we established winning the all-sports title as a major goal for this year. In our 32 years in the Sun Belt, we have claimed 133 total conference championships and really wanted to cap off our tenure by winning the all-sports title in our final year. Achieving this with a 70 percent graduation rate and over 1,000 hours of community service this year exemplifies the strength of our entire athletics program on the field of play, in the classroom and in the community."

WKU won Sun Belt Conference championships in soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, women's indoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field in 2013-14, with baseball still to be completed. With men's and women's swimming competing in Conference USA in 2013-14, WKU won the Bubas Cup with only 17 sports scoring points towards the total.

In total, 10 WKU teams finished in the top-three of their respective league standings in 2013-14.

WKU's student-athletes graduate at a 70 percent clip, which is 20 percent higher than the rest of the university student body. WKU student-athletes, coaches and staff completed over 1,000 hours of community service in 2013-14, and WKU has had more student-athletes honored by the Sun Belt Conference for academic achievement than any other conference school for nine-consecutive years.

For more information on WKU Athletics, visit WKUSports.com or follow the athletic department via social media @WKUSports on Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUAthletics.

I wish the Bubas cup were scored a bit differently. It seems weird that some schools CAN'T win because they don't sponsor certain sports. There should be some kind of percentage system or something. I dunno.

(05-12-2014 12:10 PM)Tuscon Wrote:  I wish the Bubas cup were scored a bit differently. It seems weird that some schools CAN'T win because they don't sponsor certain sports. There should be some kind of percentage system or something. I dunno.

Just wait till App brings all 20 million of their sponsored sports into the fray next year...

I have no idea if the quality of those programs will be enough for the full title, but give them a bit, and they'll turn into MTSU.

Final Standings after baseball should look something like this

1 WKU
2 USA
3 TXST
4 ULL
5 ASU
6 GSU

3-5 will all finish within 3 or 4 points of each other. Difference between ULL and ASU could easily be a half point if they finish 1-2 in baseball.

I agree that all sports should be prorated to equalize the points awarded. You shouldn't have one sport award 10 point and another 6 for winning the league title. JMO

(05-12-2014 12:32 PM)CajunAmos Wrote:  I agree that all sports should be prorated to equalize the points awarded. You shouldn't have one sport award 10 point and another 6 for winning the league title. JMO

Disagree! Do you think a championship in bowling brings as much national press to your program as a football championship/Bowl or Basketball Championship/NCAA Appearence? Not all championships are equal in value nor should they be. JMO

MT took home a few of those trophies despite not sponsoring all SBC sports. I think we sponsored all but two sports, but several programs, this year's winner included, sponsored more than we did, never stopped us from winning it.

(05-12-2014 01:57 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  Disagree! Do you think a championship in bowling brings as much national press to your program as a football championship/Bowl or Basketball Championship/NCAA Appearence? Not all championships are equal in value nor should they be. JMO

I agree in terms of national press, but I'm pretty sure the Bubas Cup isn't putting value on that. It is putting value on what student athletes are able to get done on the field(or whatever venue they play).

I would agree that you could weight sports the way it's done today if all schools sponsored the same sports, but that's just not the reality. So you have schools now who have a significant advantage because of the sports they sponsored essentially rendering the whole award meaningless.

(05-12-2014 01:57 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-12-2014 12:32 PM)CajunAmos Wrote:  I agree that all sports should be prorated to equalize the points awarded. You shouldn't have one sport award 10 point and another 6 for winning the league title. JMO

Disagree! Do you think a championship in bowling brings as much national press to your program as a football championship/Bowl or Basketball Championship/NCAA Appearence? Not all championships are equal in value nor should they be. JMO

Since you brought this up. ULL will pick up more points out of baseball and basketball than it did out of football according to the current structure.

(05-12-2014 01:57 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-12-2014 12:32 PM)CajunAmos Wrote:  I agree that all sports should be prorated to equalize the points awarded. You shouldn't have one sport award 10 point and another 6 for winning the league title. JMO

Disagree! Do you think a championship in bowling brings as much national press to your program as a football championship/Bowl or Basketball Championship/NCAA Appearence? Not all championships are equal in value nor should they be. JMO

You're right to disagree, but your premise is wrong. First of all, if bowling were a Sun Belt sport and all 13 members sponsored it, a bowling championship would in fact be worth more than a football championship.

Now an all sports trophy is for, you guessed it, all sports and the popularity of any given sport has no bearing on the way it is scored. Does a football championship mean something to more people than a tennis championship? Absolutely, but does it mean more to those directly involved? No. A championship is a championship to all players, coaches, and diehard fans of any particular sport. This trophy isn't about just revenue sports, it's about who's athletic department performs the best across the board.

UALR or UTA could win it without even sponsoring football.

(05-12-2014 12:22 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(05-12-2014 12:10 PM)Tuscon Wrote:  I wish the Bubas cup were scored a bit differently. It seems weird that some schools CAN'T win because they don't sponsor certain sports. There should be some kind of percentage system or something. I dunno.

Just wait till App brings all 20 million of their sponsored sports into the fray next year...

I have no idea if the quality of those programs will be enough for the full title, but give them a bit, and they'll turn into MTSU.

Final Standings after baseball should look something like this

1 WKU
2 USA
3 TXST
4 ULL
5 ASU
6 GSU

3-5 will all finish within 3 or 4 points of each other. Difference between ULL and ASU could easily be a half point if they finish 1-2 in baseball.

The SBC will be a step up in most sports so we'll see how we transition, could be rough. But yes App has been successful in all-sports cups like this at the SoCon level. Winners of 33 out of the last 36 years in SoCon men's, and 10 out of 26 in women's. The men's wins (not so much the women's) have been a function of carrying every sport about half of the time, but we win in per sports points as well many years.

For 2014-2015:

Sports Sponsored:

App - 18 (also has Wrestling - SoCon and Field Hockey-NorPac)
USA - 17
stAte - 16
Texas St. - 16
Troy - 16
ULL - 16
GA St. -15
ULM - 15
Arlington - 14
GA. So. - 14
A-LR - 13

Note - NMSU - 15

Who is WKU?

It means , as Kenny Powers would say, WKU is good at exercising (all them track and fields points and all).

HAHAHAHA!

1. Louisiana baseball, ranked top 3 in the country since Early April, held the #1 position in 1 poll for a month. Regular season baseball champ. Unless our team all dies a horrible death, will sweep Moanroe next weekend, at which time they should secure a regional tournament bid, as well as being a national seed, securing a Super Regional.

2. Louisiana softball, regular season champ, tourney champ. R,.anked top 20 all season. Has an RPI which allowed them to attain a National seed for the NCAA tourney..hosting regional at home and Super regional as well

3 Louisiana Football, brought 54 K to the NO bowl. Won said bowl game. Won conference championship.

4 Louisiana basketball, won conference tourney..got NCAA bid

5. Louisiana tennis, won conference tourney, got NCAA bid

In essence what I am trying to say is, **** Bubba Gump.

Louisiana has gotten more national pub than Bubba Gump will ever bring.

Z

(05-12-2014 02:05 PM)Tuscon Wrote:  

(05-12-2014 01:57 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  Disagree! Do you think a championship in bowling brings as much national press to your program as a football championship/Bowl or Basketball Championship/NCAA Appearence? Not all championships are equal in value nor should they be. JMO

I agree in terms of national press, but I'm pretty sure the Bubas Cup isn't putting value on that. It is putting value on what student athletes are able to get done on the field(or whatever venue they play).

I would agree that you could weight sports the way it's done today if all schools sponsored the same sports, but that's just not the reality. So you have schools now who have a significant advantage because of the sports they sponsored essentially rendering the whole award meaningless.

True, but it does highlight the overall excellence of an athletic program. I have no problem congratulating Western Kentucky for their efforts across the board. Looking at the total points awarded, UL could have won the conference championships in Baseball, Football, Softball, MBB , WBB and still not have won the Cup this season. After that, I really don't care much like most college sports fans.

My thought was based on all sports having a maximum value being equal. I know its more difficult to calculate but there has to be a way to prorate the individual sports to a uniform maximum. You win one sport and get 6 points, and you win a different sport and get 10 points. It's not a participation award but an award of success in all the sports. It seems some are valued more than others in the equation.

Maybe we should look at the sport with the minimum amount of participants, and then award that many positions and points for all sports. If you have a sport with only six participants, then only six places will be awarded points for all the sports. After you reach the #6 placing team, no other teams get points. Just an idea.

Or you could offer all sports and provide more student athletes an education.

(05-12-2014 07:06 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Or you could offer all sports and provide more student athletes an education.

Don't know what App's budget is, but I believe several of your conference mates have a ~$12M budget and don't do a great job of funding a number of the sports they already sponsor.

(05-12-2014 07:16 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-12-2014 07:06 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Or you could offer all sports and provide more student athletes an education.

Don't know what App's budget is, but I believe several of your conference mates have a ~$12M budget and don't do a great job of funding a number of the sports they already sponsor.

Only one in the Sunbelt. Want to guess which one?

(05-12-2014 01:57 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-12-2014 12:32 PM)CajunAmos Wrote:  I agree that all sports should be prorated to equalize the points awarded. You shouldn't have one sport award 10 point and another 6 for winning the league title. JMO

Disagree! Do you think a championship in bowling brings as much national press to your program as a football championship/Bowl or Basketball Championship/NCAA Appearence? Not all championships are equal in value nor should they be. JMO

The whole reason for the award is to encourage schools to not focus only on a few sports. WKU does push more sports than other schools which is what made WKU attractive during the conference shuffle as did MTSU , so if you have a sport......support it!

Don't have an issue with supporting it. Just don't think you should value some sports more than others, which is the whole point, right?