Notre Dame isn't my team, but if they had to go into a conference, here's what might be their wet dream:

Notre Dame Conference
Rivals Division: Boston College, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, USC
Friends Division: Air Force, Army, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Michigan, Navy, Northwestern

Conference schedule is nine games, and there are two protected crossovers: Michigan/Michigan State and Navy/Notre Dame. ND gets to play each of the other cross-division opponents except Michigan once every three years at least while still having three OOC games to schedule against whomever.

EDIT: Actually, if you swap BC and Michigan, you only need the Navy/ND protected crossover and ND can play Michigan every year. The divisions are less balanced competitively, but meh.

(10-11-2017 04:51 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Notre Dame isn't my team, but if they had to go into a conference, here's what might be their wet dream:

Notre Dame Conference
Rivals Division: Boston College, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, USC
Friends Division: Air Force, Army, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Michigan, Navy, Northwestern

Conference schedule is nine games, and there are two protected crossovers: Michigan/Michigan State and Navy/Notre Dame. ND gets to play each of the other cross-division opponents once every three years while still having three OOC games to schedule against whomever.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Texas in a conference like this

(10-11-2017 04:57 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(10-11-2017 04:51 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Notre Dame isn't my team, but if they had to go into a conference, here's what might be their wet dream:

Notre Dame Conference
Rivals Division: Boston College, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, USC
Friends Division: Air Force, Army, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Michigan, Navy, Northwestern

Conference schedule is nine games, and there are two protected crossovers: Michigan/Michigan State and Navy/Notre Dame. ND gets to play each of the other cross-division opponents once every three years while still having three OOC games to schedule against whomever.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Texas in a conference like this

I just picked ND's most-played opponents. But sure, we can shoehorn the Longhorns in too. They probably won't mind.

(10-10-2017 11:29 PM)MKPitt Wrote:  The “realistic” scenario is that somehow the Big 12 implodes, West Virginia joins the ACC and somehow ND also feels it needs to joins a conference because of the playoffs so the ACC goes to 16 teams. As much as I would love it, I just can’t see any realistic scenario where Penn St. and Pitt are ever in the same conference.
Best case scenario with UVA-UNC being protected is:

North:
BC
Syracuse
Notre Dame
Pitt
West Virginia
Louisville
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South
UNC
NC State
WF
Duke
Clemson
GT
FSU
Miami

About the only school who wouldn't like this line up is UVA since they consider themselves more aligned with the southern AAU schools.

Maybe the compromise is to swap Miami and UVA. While not a geographic rival by any stretch of the imagination they have a history with Notre Dame and the Old Big East.

I also think you set a rule where 8 conference games a required--this keeps Notre Dame and the schools who end the year against SEC rivals happy but you make it known that anyone who wants to schedule a 9th game as an OOC is free to do so which would help out games like UNC-UVA or UVA-VT, whichever ends up being OOC. Another route you could go is to have 9 conference games but allow Notre Dame, Louisville, GT, FSU, and Clemson count the result of their end of season OOC game as a conference game--you'd also have to find a 6th school who could play OOC in week 13.

I love the line up and would love to see it work out

(10-11-2017 04:51 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Notre Dame isn't my team, but if they had to go into a conference, here's what might be their wet dream:

Notre Dame Conference
Rivals Division: Boston College, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, USC
Friends Division: Air Force, Army, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Michigan, Navy, Northwestern

Conference schedule is nine games, and there are two protected crossovers: Michigan/Michigan State and Navy/Notre Dame. ND gets to play each of the other cross-division opponents except Michigan once every three years at least while still having three OOC games to schedule against whomever.

EDIT: Actually, if you swap BC and Michigan, you only need the Navy/ND protected crossover and ND can play Michigan every year. The divisions are less balanced competitively, but meh.

I grew up a Notre Dame fan and my ultimate conference for them would be a mix of older rivals and newer powers. Series with Pitt, Navy, Purdue, et al were good 100 years ago but I like this far-flung mix better. They of course would have an annual OOC home/home with James Madison.

Michigan
Michigan St.
Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Penn St.
Wisconsin

Florida
LSU
Miami
Oklahoma
Stanford
USC

(10-11-2017 05:06 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-10-2017 11:29 PM)MKPitt Wrote:  The “realistic” scenario is that somehow the Big 12 implodes, West Virginia joins the ACC and somehow ND also feels it needs to joins a conference because of the playoffs so the ACC goes to 16 teams. As much as I would love it, I just can’t see any realistic scenario where Penn St. and Pitt are ever in the same conference.
Best case scenario with UVA-UNC being protected is:

North:
BC
Syracuse
Notre Dame
Pitt
West Virginia
Louisville
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South
UNC
NC State
WF
Duke
Clemson
GT
FSU
Miami

About the only school who wouldn't like this line up is UVA since they consider themselves more aligned with the southern AAU schools.

Maybe the compromise is to swap Miami and UVA. While not a geographic rival by any stretch of the imagination they have a history with Notre Dame and the Old Big East.

I also think you set a rule where 8 conference games a required--this keeps Notre Dame and the schools who end the year against SEC rivals happy but you make it known that anyone who wants to schedule a 9th game as an OOC is free to do so which would help out games like UNC-UVA or UVA-VT, whichever ends up being OOC. Another route you could go is to have 9 conference games but allow Notre Dame, Louisville, GT, FSU, and Clemson count the result of their end of season OOC game as a conference game--you'd also have to find a 6th school who could play OOC in week 13.

I love the line up and would love to see it work out

What makes you think that ND would want any part of a football conference membership or like this setup?

(10-11-2017 05:06 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-10-2017 11:29 PM)MKPitt Wrote:  The “realistic” scenario is that somehow the Big 12 implodes, West Virginia joins the ACC and somehow ND also feels it needs to joins a conference because of the playoffs so the ACC goes to 16 teams. As much as I would love it, I just can’t see any realistic scenario where Penn St. and Pitt are ever in the same conference.
Best case scenario with UVA-UNC being protected is:

North:
BC
Syracuse
Notre Dame
Pitt
West Virginia
Louisville
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South
UNC
NC State
WF
Duke
Clemson
GT
FSU
Miami

About the only school who wouldn't like this line up is UVA since they consider themselves more aligned with the southern AAU schools.

Maybe the compromise is to swap Miami and UVA. While not a geographic rival by any stretch of the imagination they have a history with Notre Dame and the Old Big East.

I also think you set a rule where 8 conference games a required--this keeps Notre Dame and the schools who end the year against SEC rivals happy but you make it known that anyone who wants to schedule a 9th game as an OOC is free to do so which would help out games like UNC-UVA or UVA-VT, whichever ends up being OOC. Another route you could go is to have 9 conference games but allow Notre Dame, Louisville, GT, FSU, and Clemson count the result of their end of season OOC game as a conference game--you'd also have to find a 6th school who could play OOC in week 13.

I love the line up and would love to see it work out

You would have to move Miami to the northern division with the old Big East schools and move UVa south.