Theres a new rumor trend forming and I am inclined to believe it. Ive been tweeting back and forth with Tim Brando who mentioned a possibility, so I what few people I do know, I made some calls.

Tims contention is that the new urgency that ESPN and the ACC have to form a network is centered around Notre Dame and.... Uconn. Notre Dame makes good money but they do have a disadvantage that they arent as likely to make the playoffs as an indy as they are in a conference. Plus, with the SEC and Big 10 cashing in huge, they are falling behind on money.

The only sources I have ever had are in Notre Dame and Indiana. Its where I grew up and my family has lived for well over 60 years. I made a few calls and of course nobody can say 100% but there is some fire to the Rumor and it makes sense. Notre Dame signed a contract with the ACC and gave them a GOR and an exit fee contract but what some dont know is that within that contract it stipulates that the only conference they can join is the ACC.

The sudden urgency to get this network up and running supposedly is fueled by the fear that the 16th school will be taken....UConn. They are the one that the ACC wants to go with Notre Dame.

To me, it does make sense....and if so, we may start to see alot of dominoes fall. Cant see the Big 12 and Pac 12 staying still while the ACC is now 4-6 teams larger... and the Big 10 has never been one to fall too far behind.

Thank god you posted this here and not the CR board. We'll only get 1/2 of the anti-UConn crowd that hangs around here to remind us all how horrible UConn is.

EDIT: Also, thanks for sharing.

The acc should have taken uconn when they brought in notre dame. If for no other reason you add a new revenue stream. With ND and uconn together you have a womens hoops league that is actually valuable. Same could be said with the b12. Baylor and uconn possible 3x a year before the tourney? hell yes that is worth something.

Heard a while back on the Raleigh Talk Radio, ND does get a say on who the partner would be at 16. How true this is, who knows. They also think ND wants it to be Navy because of the history and the ACC would like to be back in DC area. Again, just talking heads in the Raleigh area, I consider it a rumor but I do think they tend to have more connections to the ACC insiders. Don't see it happening in my life time but one never knows.

(05-06-2016 10:35 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  The acc should have taken uconn when they brought in notre dame. If for no other reason you add a new revenue stream. With ND and uconn together you have a womens hoops league that is actually valuable. Same could be said with the b12. Baylor and uconn possible 3x a year before the tourney? hell yes that is worth something.

It would be an added bonus, but wbb is far from the driver of CR.

(05-06-2016 10:40 AM)msm96wolf Wrote:  Heard a while back on the Raleigh Talk Radio, ND does get a say on who the partner would be at 16. How true this is, who knows. They also think ND wants it to be Navy because of the history and the ACC would like to be back in DC area. Again, just talking heads in the Raleigh area, I consider it a rumor but I do think they tend to have more connections to the ACC insiders. Don't see it happening in my life time but one never knows.

Not that believe anything about this UConn and ND rumor (dismissed out of hand) but it is crazy to think that adding ND will provide ESPN with the amount of money it needs to offset Navy football.

The only way this becomes true is if Navy settles for a permanent payment of about $5m for football. That would defray the cost.

Say that adding ND football to the ACC is worth $25m to ESPN. ESPN is not going to shell out a huge amount for Navy.

There's also a rumor spreading through the twitterverse of UConn and Temple possibly going to ACC as a package. Presumably, ESPN would then agree to help create an ACC branded network. This would keep the B12 out of the Northeast for good and help the ACC shore up the Northeast/Mid Atlantic area that they are fighting with the B1G over currently.

(05-06-2016 11:03 AM)HartfordHusky Wrote:  There's also a rumor spreading through the twitterverse of UConn and Temple possibly going to ACC as a package. Presumably, ESPN would then agree to help create an ACC branded network. This would keep the B12 out of the Northeast for good and help the ACC shore up the Northeast/Mid Atlantic area that they are fighting with the B1G over currently.

It's amazing how all these rumors seem to get started at the same time. For me, just confirms they are all BS.

Personally, I'm still amazed UCONN isn't in a Power league...

I think the B12 grabs two teams to live up to their name. I think one of those two is BYU, and i believe the last team can be a toss up between UC, UCONN, and Memphis (for me personally, i think in that order). But the gap between UC and UCONN being invited is much smaller than UCONN and Memphis (sorry tiger fans, just my $0.02)

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(05-06-2016 11:16 AM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Personally, I'm still amazed UCONN isn't in a Power league...

I think the B12 grabs two teams to live up to their name. I think one of those two is BYU, and i believe the last team can be a toss up between UC, UCONN, and Memphis (for me personally, i think in that order). But the gap between UC and UCONN being invited is much smaller than UCONN and Memphis (sorry tiger fans, just my $0.02)

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I just hope that the B12 is seriously considering what UConn would bring to the table regarding a conference network and the ACC too. I hope the ACC is considering what it would mean to have the B12 operating in their neck of the woods with a conference network up and running.

(05-06-2016 11:03 AM)HartfordHusky Wrote:  There's also a rumor spreading through the twitterverse of UConn and Temple possibly going to ACC as a package. Presumably, ESPN would then agree to help create an ACC branded network. This would keep the B12 out of the Northeast for good and help the ACC shore up the Northeast/Mid Atlantic area that they are fighting with the B1G over currently.

Only problem with that is the acc is has a contract with ND until 2035 that if they expand they have to invite ND. Traversely if ND decides to join a conference it has to be the acc.

(05-06-2016 10:35 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  The acc should have taken uconn when they brought in notre dame. If for no other reason you add a new revenue stream. With ND and uconn together you have a womens hoops league that is actually valuable. Same could be said with the b12. Baylor and uconn possible 3x a year before the tourney? hell yes that is worth something.

Did you just use "women's hoops league" and "valuable" together in the same sentence?

(05-06-2016 11:58 AM)coogrfan Wrote:  

(05-06-2016 10:35 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  The acc should have taken uconn when they brought in notre dame. If for no other reason you add a new revenue stream. With ND and uconn together you have a womens hoops league that is actually valuable. Same could be said with the b12. Baylor and uconn possible 3x a year before the tourney? hell yes that is worth something.

Did you just use "women's hoops league" and "valuable" together in the same sentence?

They got to find something valuable for their school.

If true that is interesting and would work with swoffies mo and their low balling the b1g

Brando was interviewed on College Sports Nation yesterday and I heard him talking about the same thing about ND’s link to the ACC. IMO I don’t think ND entertains the idea of joining a conference until they finish a football season at 11-1 and are left out of the college football playoff. Prior to that what’s their motivation to join?

They enjoy life as an independent and I’m sure they feel it enhances their national brand.

They have their own TV deal with NBC that doesn’t seem to be going anyplace anytime soon.

Basketball is in what many would say is the premier basketball conference in the country.

They have no trouble scheduling.

Add in the fact that if the playoffs expand to 6 or even 8 teams which we all know it will happen sooner not later their chances of being left out are reduced even more.

I would love to hear the ND fans opinion on this, but I just don’t think they have any desire to join any conference.

(05-06-2016 11:16 AM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Personally, I'm still amazed UCONN isn't in a Power league...

I think the B12 grabs two teams to live up to their name. I think one of those two is BYU, and i believe the last team can be a toss up between UC, UCONN, and Memphis (for me personally, i think in that order). But the gap between UC and UCONN being invited is much smaller than UCONN and Memphis (sorry tiger fans, just my $0.02)

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No offense taken. People have said a lot worse, lol.

I'm certain that all of this, deep down, is being steered by UNC to derail ECU's upward mobility. Note that John Skipper, CEO of ESPN is a heel and John Swofford ACC commish is also a heel. The AAC is showing itself too successful. The heels will now systematically destroy the conference around us by taking Temple and UConn to the ACC and UCF, USF, Memphis and UC to the Big12. Its all too clear now.

(05-06-2016 11:58 AM)coogrfan Wrote:  

(05-06-2016 10:35 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  The acc should have taken uconn when they brought in notre dame. If for no other reason you add a new revenue stream. With ND and uconn together you have a womens hoops league that is actually valuable. Same could be said with the b12. Baylor and uconn possible 3x a year before the tourney? hell yes that is worth something.

Did you just use "women's hoops league" and "valuable" together in the same sentence?

Ive watched uconn and nd in person. Trust me it adds value to any package. Maybe 5 schools in the country fall in that cat. Those are 2 of the 5.

(05-06-2016 11:58 AM)coogrfan Wrote:  

(05-06-2016 10:35 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  The acc should have taken uconn when they brought in notre dame. If for no other reason you add a new revenue stream. With ND and uconn together you have a womens hoops league that is actually valuable. Same could be said with the b12. Baylor and uconn possible 3x a year before the tourney? hell yes that is worth something.

Did you just use "women's hoops league" and "valuable" together in the same sentence?

It definitely is profitable for UConn and whatever network airs the UConn women's games.

To address what many have said, first off the ACC isnt looking to add two. They have their one. They made very clear to ND that they would not let them have their current deal unless they signed an agreement to fully join once they decide to be in conference. So no, the rumor about Temple wouldnt be accurate since that would put them at 16 plus 1 spot for ND, which means they would then have to go to 18.

2nd, the contract with NBC does have a clause to terminate if they leave to join a conference. Notre Dames numbers are actually stronger than Texas, so if ESPN is willing to pay Texas $35 million a year, then you can see their value. At present, ND barely makes $20 million a year. If they fully join the ACC, and the network gets started, then that amount goes up. Its not like ND needs money. They raised $2 billion in under a year when they did a fundraiser but this goes more to making a stable conference longterm for them.
There are lots of rumors about the Big 10 eyeing ACC teams... with ND joining, it stabalizes the conference for a long time.

As far as Uconn, the ACC network isnt guranteed to be in the NY market. They do have syracuse but lets be honest, they arent exactly the biggest draw. Uconn helps them with that. Having two teams with a strong alumni base should get it done... or at least thats the reasoning it was explained to me.

I am not saying 100% that this is gonna happen but it does make sense. The ACC mindset has been that Uconn would be there when they wanted them and we know BC has been blocking for a while but the simple truth is Uconn is very valuable "if" they can get into the NY market. Its unknown if they can carry it alone (thats why the Big 12 wanted analytics) but with Cuse, it shouldnt be an issue. Also add in that Uconn is one of the most valuable basketball brands in america.... and the ACC makes more money off bball than ANY other conference.