There's little doubt Big Ten expansion is now closer to the finish line than the starting blocks.

We're likely about to see Jim Delany tighten the screws on Notre Dame.

Step 1, which has been well-chronicled here and elsewhere, is the Big Ten's 16-team concept that sends a "now or never" message to ND and chips away at the Big East as any sort of conceivable fallback option for ND's football program.


Step 2? The Big Ten office makes it clear to ND there's no guarantee Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue will continue to play the Iriah in football.

It's now dog eat dog time.

Just as Notre Dame must do what's best for its football program, so must the Big Ten schools.

The reality — and something Notre Dame's anti-conference fanbase fails or refuses to acknowledge — is that ND needs these games much more than the Big Ten schools do.

Sure, there will be grumbling by Michigan, MSU and Purdue fans, but in the end those programs will find another team to sub on the slate and life will go on.

It's not so easy for ND, which would lose 25 percent of a schedule it's have an increasingly hard time filling.

The realistic responses for ND's administration to a Big Ten "freeze out" are very limited.

1) Tough it out and try to cobble together a 12-game schedule. Good luck with that, particularly after the inevitable SEC expansion and Pac-10/Big 12 consolidation. As those conferences get bigger, there will be less incentive for member schools to add marquee non-conference games, particularly during the heart of league play in October and November.

2) Join another league besides the Big Ten. It's likely the Big East's top leftovers (UConn, Syracuse?, WVU, UofL) will be snatched up by the ACC, which is almost certain to lose at least a couple schools (FSU, Clemson, Miami?, GT?) to the SEC. As far as the ACC goes, ND, when all is said and done, isn't joining a regional league halfway across the country, anyway.

3) Swallow its pride and join the Big Ten.

And that's it.

All Delany has to do now is tighten those screws and ND, with alumni kicking and screaming and no other good options, will join Rutgers, Nebraska, Missouri and Pitt in the Big Ten.

Syracuse (this time), UConn, WVU and U of L will be off to the basketball-centric ACC, which if it's smart, will make a push to lure Kentucky from the SEC and have the unquestioned premier college hoops league in the country.

USF and Cincinnati? Say hello to C-USA, version 2.0 (or whatever)

Are you assuming that Michigan (which recently signed a twenty five year contract with Notre Dame), Michigan State (who ND scheduled when Michigan tried to blackball the Spartan program out of existence) and Purdue (who has played ND for years and years) will join in lock step with whatever Delany says about playing Notre Dame?

What if Delany does not try to issue such an edict? Why would he care, maybe he just moves on with 5 other schools joining the Big Integer?

What if those three schools decide to ignore such an "edict"? What is the sanction from Delany?

You are also assuming that schools like Oklahoma (who is very close to announcing a home and home deal with ND) and Alabama (whose AD is aggressively pursuing a home and home deal) will now decide to not play Notre Dame?

I happen to think that you overstate this perceived threat to ND's scheduling options and underestimate the ability of ND to successfully remain a football independent.

I guess that only time will tell..

TerryD -- you're taking this stuff seriously from a poster with < 5 posts, and who has a screen name that's an intentional knock on the revered 'Frank The Tank'?

Lol, yeah..my bad, I guess.

(05-06-2010 11:58 AM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Step 2? The Big Ten office makes it clear to ND there's no guarantee Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue will continue to play the Iriah in football.

In addition to opening themselves up for a lawsuite due to breach of contract, this tactic would create an even bigger national backlash than Big Ten wants to endure. Plus that opens the up to more lawsuits that they are deliberately trying to harm Notre Dame and the Big East.[/i] [i]

I liked Cincinnati in CUSA. A chance to re build the bb program!

I'm a little sick of playing Notre Dame to be honest...

Hasn't the Michigan vs. Notre Dame series only been played for about 25 years? It's not like it was "the" game for Notre Dame like USC or Navy. Plus it can't be that important because it is always played so early in the season.
Go get 'em TerryD!

(05-06-2010 11:58 AM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  USF and Cincinnati? Say hello to C-USA, version 2.0 (or whatever)

I'm going to guess that this fellow is a WVU or a Syracuse fan, because for some reason they seem to love the idea of Cincinnati heading back to C-USA and oblivion. No doubt because this person resents the success the Bearcats have had at the expense of his own school.

I think it would be wonderful karmic justice if his school is left to rot in C-USA 2.0 while the Bearcats get a cozy spot in a BCS conference. It would serve 'em right.