(05-14-2017 03:22 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(05-13-2017 05:26 PM)JRsec Wrote:  I don't know why you guys keep persisting with the "Navy" stuff? Don't you know that all three service academies have essentially agreed to stay out of the P5. Height and weight restrictions mean P5 schedules injure too many cadet and middies who are giving up an average of 80lbs a man on the line. And three weeks ago they did away with waivers for athletes getting a professional draft. All personnel will now serve their commitment before being eligible to leave for professional sports. The question is not will they enter the P conferences, but rather will they stay in the G ones.

I can definitely see your point, but, you have to look at it from ND's perspective too. If ND were to join a 16 team ACC (possible), it would probably only have three OOC to play with, possibly four. You have to assume that ND will always play USC & Stanford (Can't stand John Elway, but that's Oakland/Las Vegas Raider fan in me talking) every year and that they will play Navy every year. Even if ND never played a single Big Ten team ever again, I still doubt that ND would be satisfied just playing those three OOC. As incredulous and dumb as it may sound, Navy to the ACC along with ND would help free up an OOC slot for the Irish that they can use on a random team that they would like to play, like Texas, for example. If Georgetown or Villanova wouldn't come to the ACC, I can think of a team in the greater Cincinnati area that might be willing to join (perhaps your ND contact was referring to this team I'm going to mention, JRSec?): Dayton. Dayton is not in the BE, and they're definitely not alpha dogs in the A10, but they are a Catholic institution, and they're definitely closer to ND than G'town & 'Nova are. I can definitely see Dayton wanting to join the ACC, but I don't know if ND would be willing to go to bat for them or not. Marquette could be another possibility, although they are in the BE, they are definitely not very high up on the BE totem pole.

First, let's make something clear. If ND were to do the heretofore unthinkable and join a football conference, it is contractually obligated to join the ACC. So let's not waste time talking about what other conferences might offer.

Second, until they do join, they have negotiating leverage as to the terms of the deal. IMO, one of the terms ND is likely to insist on is that the ACC keep its current 8 game league schedule, and that the conference bylaws be changed to require 12 votes to change that instead of a simple majority.

What they might have to concede to get that is the ability to dictate who the 16th member is. I would expect there could be some support for that to be West Virginia instead of Cincinnati, to appease the southern wing of the conference who want another legitimate football power as their price for approving the expansion in the first place.

Just my 2 cents.