The biggest football game in Temple history took place on Saturday. Great effort from the Owls. I even tweeted a “][” in support.

But, it may be time to turn the page and focus on Villanova. In the news twice today:

Basketball

The first preseason poll came out last week and slotted Nova ninth. Today, the AP released their preseason poll, and Nova came in at a cool 11th, for a two-poll combined average of – let me lean on the collegiate math learned on the Main Line – 10th. Villanova is the number 10 basketball team in the country, thanks in part to five-star McDonald’s All-American Jalen Brunson, the Big East preseason freshman of the year.

Money

The data is in, and the Economist has determined that Villanovans are good looking and great at life. Statistically speaking. Dan Norton, writing for the Philadelphia Business Journal:

According to the Economist, some of the world’s smartest people go to Villanova University, and therefore have some of the best salaries after they graduate.

Villanova ranked third on the Economist’s list, which measured the economic value of a university based upon the gap between how much money its graduates earn, and how much they might have made had they studied elsewhere. Villanova students who graduated 10 years ago make $13,245 above expectation in salary.

The only two institutions ranked above the Main Line school are Washington & Lee University in Virginia ($22,377 above expectation) and Babson College in Massachusetts ($20,330 above expectation).

Furthermore, the Economist determined the median income for a college graduate is $42,187, which Villanova exceeds at $73,700. It also reported that Villanova students benefit from mandatory courses on professional development, close ties to big accounting firms and top-tier graduate salaries.

Some even go on to become bloggers!
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That’s the difference between Nova grads and Penn grads. Ivy Leaguers have book smarts. Most Penn folks go on to become big-brained thinkers, journalism wonks and professors, with a doctor or two thrown in. Not Nova kids. Nova kids have real smarts, street smarts (Wall Street, not actual streets… we don’t like any street that isn’t a quiet cul-de-sac adjacent to a pristine farm or something)– smart enough to be rich, but not so smart that they waste all their talent just thinking about why other people are rich. The Gordon Gecko to your Aristotle. Greed is good, and so are the Wildcats!

Side note: Don’t get mad at me for this post. Blame the bye week and Temple loss. I was all set mid-way through the fourth quarter on Saturday to blow out Temple Shocks The World! posts all day yesterday. Alas.