Today is signing day in college football. The top high school football players have spent many months trying to decide where to spend their next three to five years. For those who hope to play on Sunday, here's one more thing to consider.
I've ranked every school in the country by the total amount their players earned in the NFL in 2008. This may tell us two related things: (i) where do the guys who go pro go to school? and (ii) which schools turn their players into successful pros? Here's the top 20:
RANK - SCHOOL - 2008 NFL SALARIES - (# of Players)
1. LSU $131,780,008 (40)
2. Miami (FL) $123,972,638 (48)
3. Michigan $89,122,395 (39)
4. Florida State $82,833,470 (38)
5. Ohio State $82,427,649 (37)
6. Tennessee $82,051,202 (37)
7. Georgia $81,811,820 (38)
8. USC $80,566,340 (34)
9. Florida $76,886,000 (31)
10. Texas $71,818,360 (36)
11. Notre Dame $70,977,740 (32)
12. North Carolina $62,526,773 (22)
13. Auburn $59,955,654 (30)
14. Virginia $58,729,980 (22)
15. Purdue $54,093,060 (23)
16. Iowa $53,861,125 (22)
17. Maryland $53,058,000 (24)
18. Wisconsin $52,682,784 (22)
19. Boston College $51,433,520 (22)
20. Virginia Tech $51,356,013 (29)
The only real surprise at the top of the list is the total dominance of LSU. Both LSU and Miami outstrip the rest of the field by a wide margin, but LSU does it with 8 fewer players than Miami. Consequently, LSU has the highest average compensation per player among teams with 20 or more players in the NFL. (Eastern Illinois had the highest average overall at $12,866,600 - thanks Tony Romo!)
No real surprises in the top 10. These are all perenial powerhouses we would expect to see. Places 4-7 are remarkably close together. Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Georgia all have 37 or 38 players in the pros with salaries that add up to amounts within $1,000,000 of each other.
In my opinion, the chart gets interesting after the top 10. Notre Dame has done poorly that last several years, but their players seem to be making significant contributions in the pros. North Carolina is an even bigger surprise. They haven't finished in the AP or USA Today top 25 in at least 6 years. Nonetheless, they made 12th place with only 22 players.
Source data: USA Today
UPDATE: The integrity of the USA Today salary data has been brought into question. Marcus Hamilton, a CB out of Virginia on the Bears' roster, is listed as receiving a $10 million bonus in 2008. Not so plausible considering he went undrafted. So, Virginia probably needs to be discounted by about $10 mil, knocking them out of the top 20.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Last Word on Expelled
Finals are here, so naturally, it's time to start blogging again.
A while back, Ben Stein released a really bad movie about Intelligent Design called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. After long refusing to review it, we finally get Roger Ebert's thoughts on the movie.
Naturally, Ebert skillfully tears it apart. He does a particularly good job of addressing the "excluded middle" strategy routinely taken by proponents of Intelligent Design:
For example, consider their interview with Eugenie Scott, Director of the National Center for Science Education,* about the organization's efforts to counter the introduction of ID into the public school classroom. They make sure to emphasize the fact that she is an atheist. When she points out that a lot of the organization's support comes from religious people (Catholics, Jews, etc.), they frame it as though these nice religious people are getting hoodwinked out of their money to support some godless cause. Never mind that the each of the last three Popes, all the way back to 1950, have directly stated that there is no conflict between Catholicism and evolution. As Pope John Paul II put it, Truth Cannot Contradict Truth.
This is why I don't get why so many religious people are scared of science: if God really did create the world, why don't religious people view the effort to objectively study and understand the natural world to be the most holy calling to which one may aspire? One intelligent commenter on Ebert's review put it more eloquently than I can:
*I still owe the NCSE about $100 to offset the price of admission for two to Expelled, the Creation Museum, and the Creation Museum planetarium. These field trips are getting expensive.
A while back, Ben Stein released a really bad movie about Intelligent Design called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. After long refusing to review it, we finally get Roger Ebert's thoughts on the movie.
Naturally, Ebert skillfully tears it apart. He does a particularly good job of addressing the "excluded middle" strategy routinely taken by proponents of Intelligent Design:
By his premise no secularists believe in Intelligent Design, and no people with religious beliefs subscribe to Darwin's theory. If there are people with religious beliefs who agree with Darwin (Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Mormons, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, for example) they are mistaken...This is one of the things the movie does quite well. They cast the debate as a struggle between all religious people and all non-religious people rather than an effort by a few religious people with one extreme belief to foist it upon everyone else.
For example, consider their interview with Eugenie Scott, Director of the National Center for Science Education,* about the organization's efforts to counter the introduction of ID into the public school classroom. They make sure to emphasize the fact that she is an atheist. When she points out that a lot of the organization's support comes from religious people (Catholics, Jews, etc.), they frame it as though these nice religious people are getting hoodwinked out of their money to support some godless cause. Never mind that the each of the last three Popes, all the way back to 1950, have directly stated that there is no conflict between Catholicism and evolution. As Pope John Paul II put it, Truth Cannot Contradict Truth.
This is why I don't get why so many religious people are scared of science: if God really did create the world, why don't religious people view the effort to objectively study and understand the natural world to be the most holy calling to which one may aspire? One intelligent commenter on Ebert's review put it more eloquently than I can:
As a devout Mormon with a PhD in genetics, I am always amazed at the anger that evolution evokes in some people or why they think that learning evolution is so dangerous to faith. Personally I think that religion that cannot handle truth gained from looking at the world around us is denying the most important works of God. The Bible is a short and incomplete book that does not attempt to explain orchids or dinosaurs or many other things.Well said!
*I still owe the NCSE about $100 to offset the price of admission for two to Expelled, the Creation Museum, and the Creation Museum planetarium. These field trips are getting expensive.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Prediction!
You heard it here first: Citing how mean and sexist Joe Biden and that Obama-loving Gwen Ifill were to her during the debate, Sarah Palin will announce tomorrow morning that she is withdrawing from the race over the protests of a shattered and disheartened John McCain. She would rather spend time caring for her family than risk dragging down the McCain campaign (and the country!) as a target for continued attacks from narrow-minded, sexist elites.
Even thought the debate is nine hours away, I'm sure the press release has already been drafted.
Any thoughts on who her replacement will be. Lieberman? Lieberman?
UPDATE 12/7/08: So that prediction was a little bit incorrect. She did a lot better than I expected, and it's hard for me to feel bad, especially considering how the election turned out. I guess I'm actually kinda glad she stuck around.
Even thought the debate is nine hours away, I'm sure the press release has already been drafted.
Any thoughts on who her replacement will be. Lieberman? Lieberman?
UPDATE 12/7/08: So that prediction was a little bit incorrect. She did a lot better than I expected, and it's hard for me to feel bad, especially considering how the election turned out. I guess I'm actually kinda glad she stuck around.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sorry. More Palin Videos
I know, you're tired of videos of Palin looking dumb. But, she is dumb (and REALLY inexperienced). So let's embrace that.
"Read? What? I like movies. And I'm, like, ready to be vice president because I watched Air Force One. And Harrison Ford is dreamy."
I hope McCain drops her. I'm offended as an American that he thinks she would be a good leader of the country. She insults my very being.
"Read? What? I like movies. And I'm, like, ready to be vice president because I watched Air Force One. And Harrison Ford is dreamy."
I hope McCain drops her. I'm offended as an American that he thinks she would be a good leader of the country. She insults my very being.
Did You Know...
...the Parliamant of Canada is composed of two houses.
The House of Commons is the dominant branch. Each of its 282 seats is elected from one electoral district (or "riding") by simple plurality vote. Members retain their seats until they resign or Parliament is dissolved for a new election.
The Senate's duties, on the other hand, are largely ceremonial. It is composed entirely of the winners of the most recent NHL All-Star Game and is presided over by the reigning MVP. Members of the 2008 Canadian Senate are:
The House of Commons is the dominant branch. Each of its 282 seats is elected from one electoral district (or "riding") by simple plurality vote. Members retain their seats until they resign or Parliament is dissolved for a new election.
The Senate's duties, on the other hand, are largely ceremonial. It is composed entirely of the winners of the most recent NHL All-Star Game and is presided over by the reigning MVP. Members of the 2008 Canadian Senate are:
Vincent Lecavalier - ForwardFun Fact: Though the Senate rules do not explicitly prohibit it, no woman has ever served in the Canadian Senate.
Daniel Alfredsson - Forward
Scott Gomez - Forward
Evgeni Malkin - Forward
Mar Savard - Forward
Marian Hossa - Forward
Ilya Kovalchuk - Forward
Alex Ovechkin - Forward
Mike Richards - Forward
Jason Spezza - Forward
Eric Staal - Forward (MVP)
Martin St. Louis - Forward
Andrei Markov - Defense
Zdeno Chara - Defense
Brian Campbell - Defense
Sergei Gonchar - Defense
Tomas Kaberle - Defense
Kimmo Timonen - Defense
Tim Thomas - Goaltender
Rick DiPietro - Goaltender
Tomas Vokoun - Goaltender
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sarah Palin Interview Answers
Finally, we can get answers from Sarah Palin. For some reason she seems to dodge interviews and press conferences. I bet her baby gets sick before the debate and she can't go. Oh, was that a sexist comment? Sorry about that.
Anyhow, some brilliant guy wrote a thing to create Palin interview answers from computer analysis of her speeches and statements. "The Markov chain generated answers are surprising close to her actual answers." Whatever that means. But it's great. Just the kind of incoherent babble I'd expect
Q: Why should the US elect Senator McCain?
A: John McCain has a great plan to get caught up in this terror. They need to pursue those and we have to stand for that. I see the United States, and the insurance carrier duties of AIG. But first and shoring up allies and positions and figuring out what sanctions perhaps against Russia, if this is what it leads us to a position like we are at a point, here, seven years later, on the table. I think that I just gave you. But, again, we've got to remember what the bailout does is help those who are hell bent on destroying our nation.
P.S. I don't like her or her stupidly large anti-choice Republican family.
Anyhow, some brilliant guy wrote a thing to create Palin interview answers from computer analysis of her speeches and statements. "The Markov chain generated answers are surprising close to her actual answers." Whatever that means. But it's great. Just the kind of incoherent babble I'd expect
Q: Why should the US elect Senator McCain?
A: John McCain has a great plan to get caught up in this terror. They need to pursue those and we have to stand for that. I see the United States, and the insurance carrier duties of AIG. But first and shoring up allies and positions and figuring out what sanctions perhaps against Russia, if this is what it leads us to a position like we are at a point, here, seven years later, on the table. I think that I just gave you. But, again, we've got to remember what the bailout does is help those who are hell bent on destroying our nation.
P.S. I don't like her or her stupidly large anti-choice Republican family.
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