(02-12-2018 02:55 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(02-12-2018 01:37 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(02-12-2018 01:11 PM)ken d Wrote:  I don't believe we will ever have what one might call "superconferences" or "megaconferences". I think 18 is the limit, and depending on what Oklahoma and Texas prefer to do there might only be one of those.

For this exercise, I'm going to assume (without any actual knowledge of what they want) they both want to go to the B1G, and that the B1G will have them and will accept two more to make that happen. I'm also going to assume that ESPN will either allow or encourage movement from the ACC to the SEC, and will negotiate whatever is needed to make that possible.

Then my two 18 team conferences are:

B1G East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana, Purdue and Illinois.

B1G West: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St and Texas.

SEC East: Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech and NC State.

SEC West: Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi St, Vanderbilt, LSU, Arkansas, Missouri and Texas A&M.

These four divisions will all play a balanced 8 game schedule, and will schedule any rivalry opponents from the other division in their conference as part of their OOC schedule. The only two such rivalries that come readily to mind are Auburn-Georgia and Tennessee-Vanderbilt.

The remaining ACC teams stay together as a single 10 team conference with a full round robin schedule plus Notre Dame, which plays half of them one year and the other half the next.

The remnants of the Big 12 rebuild from the AAC western teams, with West Virginia moving to the AAC. The net result is two geographically logical 9 team conferences (with Wichita State going with the Big 12).

The end result is 3 very strong (I won't say "Power") conferences, 3 Tweener conferences, and 4 relatively weak conferences.

At that point, ND probably parts ways with the ACC. They can hook up with the Big East again and retain a fully independent football schedule. Maybe they'd try to establish a partial football schedule with the Big Ten to replace the ACC games. Then they'd have easier access to traditional rivals such as Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue, while still being able to play Navy, USC, and Stanford. Of course, if they're smart, they go all in with the Big Ten, and Okie Jr. can forget about an invite (not that the Cowboys would have been invited in the first place).

Also, in your scenario, WVU is sticking with the Big 12 except on the off chance that the ACC invites them.

While none of this will happen in reality, in this scenario, don't expect ND to join the Big Ten.

Why do people keep trying to shoehorn ND football into the very last place it wants to be?

ND outright rejected the Big Ten in 1999 and did so again in 2010-12 with its move to the ACC. Jim Delany really wanted the Irish, too. No sale.

I doubt ND would join the Big East. No bowl bids there, no football scheduling for November, either.

In this fantasy land scenario, ND would likely keep the status quo with that entity called the ACC for a number of reasons (Southeastern recruiting, better "fit" with private schools in ACC, etc.).

That was certainly my assumption. This would be a pretty good schedule for the Irish, IMO:

Miami, UNC, Boston College, Wake Forest, Virginia, Stanford, USC, Navy, either Oklahoma or Texas (alternate years), Alabama or other SEC team and an FBS buy game.

Not to mention some pretty good hoops, LAX and other sports. They could do worse.