(05-13-2017 10:59 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Because Bruce the Big 12 offers nothing that Notre Dame needs. They identify with the country club sports and lacrosse and the privates and small publics of the ACC and stand a better chance toe to toe with them than they would in any other conference now that the real Big East is kaput.

That's why they preferred ACC to the Big12 for Olympic Sports plus a FB-scheduling-agreement.

But the Big12 being willing to do the same thing is what gives them the leverage to maintain their FB independence. And the emotional attachment of so many of their supporters to independence is what gives the threat to leave rather than take a "take it or leave it" offer so much credibility.

There is no particular rational reason to be so attached to independence ... but giving an excessive amount of money to college football programs is very rarely a purely rational decision. Given the emotional investment of so many of their supporters in football independence, they will give up quite a lot to maintain it.