TerryD
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I Root For: Notre Dame
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RE: CFN: “Big Ten Expansion:(…now what?)”
(04-12-2022 12:21 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote: (04-11-2022 06:38 PM)TerryD Wrote: (04-11-2022 02:07 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote: (04-11-2022 12:27 PM)JRsec Wrote: (04-11-2022 12:00 PM)esayem Wrote: The Big Ten may covet some ESPN property in the ACC, but ESPN will have the first option and I can see either 1) the ACC remaining as is with a competitive pay increase or 2) some ACC property bundled with the SEC and split into the ACC division:
The Big Southeastern
Atlantic Coast Division
UVA
VT
Wake
UNC
Duke
NC St.
Clemson
SC
GT
Southeastern Division
UK
UT
Vandy
UGA
UF
FSU
Miami
Bama
Auburn
Southwest Division
Ole Miss
Miss St.
LSU
Arkansas
Texas
TAMU
Oklahoma
Mizzou
Kansas
10 game conference schedules, division champs plus a wildcard for a conference playoff.
Add Louisville and break into 4 divisions of 7. At least you would have an even number of conference games each week.
North:
Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Southeast:
Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, South Carolina
South:
Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Southwest:
Arkansas, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M
I like the concept for a mega-conference, and the appropriate ACC schools, IMO, are identified if that is the direction the movement goes. I lean toward placing Vandy differently, at least. I am not sure Kansas would end-up in the SEC. I could see Oklahoma State as an alternative in this "mega" situation.
Question: Would ESPN be interested in retaining the northern ACC tier of Pitt, Syracuse, and BC, and some connection to Notre Dame? I can't see the SEC giving Notre Dame an ACC-type accommodation of most of their Olympic-style sports plus several football games scheduled yearly. I don't particularly see Pitt, Syracuse, and BC being a useful fit for the SEC.
Notre Dame fans may argue this, but if the BIG looks west for schools such as Colorado, maybe Kansas, I wouldn't totally dismiss ND, Pitt, and even Iowa State, being a part of a future BIG mega-conference. Pitt, 'Cuse, and BC, maybe even UConn, could connect with WVU, Cincy, and the rest of the B12.
Many people vastly overestimate the "lure" or attraction or appeal of Pitt, Syracuse and BC to Notre Dame.
ND used to play Pitt annually and played BC quite often in the 2000-2012 time frame, but that is about it.
They were opponents on the schedule. That is about the extent of the relationship.
ND likes to play in big East Coast cities, so Pitt and BC sometimes fill that bill.
There is no close connection or "rivalry" like Auburn/Alabama or WVU/Pitt.
The only schools ND really "cares" about are Southern Cal and Navy, for different reasons.
Most other schools are pretty much fungible as far as a schedule goes. Replace Michigan with Clemson or Florida State, replace Georgia with Alabama or Texas A&M, etc....
For instance, ND played Michigan (but only from 1978) Purdue and Michigan State annually until the 2012 ACC deal.
Then, those schools vanished from ND annual schedules.
The reaction of ND fans? Not much of one, really.
ND and Syracuse have not really played that often in the past 50 years or so.
ND may well end up in the Big Ten ($$$$), but it will not be because Pitt, BC and Syracuse are included.
Athletically, I like Notre Dame, and their loyal fan base is quite impressive.
It does come down to scheduling and money. As affiliation dynamics may force new adaptations, and variables such as NIL and p4p take hold in some fashion, Notre Dame will be impacted as most others. I understand their long-time branding and valuing of football independence. And surely they will keep some options open. They have been smart negotiators. That said, their distaste for the BIG (outside hockey) comes across as having zero flexibility in even pondering the notion of joining the BIG. On the other hand, one of the BIG's top goals is to lure ND. I understand the history of all this. What is the catalyst, beyond money, to change the attitudes of both parties? Some among us view that Notre Dame could thrive as a BIG member and not relinquish any prestige. Obviously, there are fans that see such as being detrimental, even disastrous. Is that rationality or is it driven by pure emotions? Maybe it is some of both with unclear proportions.
In addition to a fan revolt and (more importantly) a major donor revolt (donors have threatened to withhold donations for years if ND gives up independence), the major concern is that joining the Big Ten in full will severely impact football recruiting.
Unlike Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, ND has no natural recruiting base or territory.
It must, by necessity, recruit nationally. It feels that it needs a national schedule to help accomplish that.
Last year, by my count, the 23 ND recruits came from 15 different states. I believe that the current roster of 85 includes players from 23 different states.
Here are ND's recruits from last year. Only 2 players came from Indiana.
http://www.espn.com/colleges/notredame/f...rder/false
The big concern of ND is that it will become "regionalized" if the Irish join the Big Ten and that its national recruiting efforts will be negatively impacted because of that.
P.S. For what it is worth, I think that only money would drive ND (very, very, very reluctantly) to the Big Ten if there is a top tier P2 only. It will not be a good day for ND football's future if/when that happens.
(This post was last modified: 04-12-2022 02:02 PM by TerryD.)
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CFN: “Big Ten Expansion:(…now what?)”
