(08-09-2022 11:45 AM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 11:14 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 10:39 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(08-04-2022 07:41 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  I don't think there is a chance USC/Notre Dame ends. I think it is highly likely to be moved up at least a week though. I just don't think it is likely anyone else will agree to sitting off the last weekend and doubt they force them too.

If the current contract goes through 2026, they will probably honor that though with UCLA sitting out in 2024 and 2026 if nothing else can be arranged.

Well the issue I see isn't the fact that Notre Dame wants to play USC the last week of the season, they want to play USC the last week of the season every other week. If USC wanted to play Notre Dame every Rivalry Week every year, it would be easy to have Iowa play Iowa State and then have Nebraska and UCLA play. But USC (or Notre Dame) doesn't want that, Notre Dame wants to play in California to end the season every year and when they play in South Bend play earlier. If you're a Big Ten schedule maker, you then would need to come up with different Rivalry Week schedules to accommodate USC (and if they join the Big Ten, for Notre Dame) and that affects other conference schools. Other Pac 12 schools in the past have accommodated Notre Dame. USC and Stanford have also accommodated Notre Dame as well, why wouldn't USC and UCLA want to play on Rivalry Week every year? Maybe USC should stand up to Notre Dame and say play in November every year or October every year or September every year. The UCLA-USC rivalry is compromised because of Notre Dame as is California-Stanford. Imagine if the Iron Bowl was played a week early. Wouldn't be the same. The California schools deserve Rivalry week games as much as the rest of the country.

With a billion dollar TV contract, they can pay someone in the conference office to come up with 2 different schedules for odd and even years and coordinate with the other conferences.

The Big Ten could, but why would the want to do a team that has rebuffed there invitation to join for the 30+ years any favors.

Fair point. I do expect it will be done as a concierge service for USC.

(I also think ND us more valuable to everyone as an independent. As an Indy, they're special. Join big Ten, they're Wisconsin or Penn State or Nebraska.