In previous threads we have examined the potential 12 team Big East model and 10 team model, there is another model that may work best of all if Notre Dame decides to cooperate in a few years. Since Notre Dame is freeing its football schedule in 2008, the timing may be perfect for Notre Dame to join BE football with a Notre Dame slant of course.

The following 11 team Big East football alignment would provide Notre Dame the conforts of conference affiliation and allow flexiablity in football schedule that Notre Dame and NBC want to maintain for national exposure.

Notre Dame
Navy
Pittsburgh
West Virginia
Syracuse
Army
Rutgers
Connecticut
South Florida
Cincinnati
Louisville

Notre Dame already plays Navy and Pittsburgh on a regular basis so both teams could be regular BE football games. Notre Dame could play a regular rotating 6 games with the other 8 Big East members. This would provide both Notre Dame and NBC with flexablity and help increase Notre Dame with 8 home games for TV if necessary.

Any conference schedule must play the same amount of games to work (8 is standard) and this plan provides Notre Dame the ability to have flexiable BE football schedules and maintain a national schedule type exposure for Notre Dame at the same time. A major benefit to BE membership is ability to play a conference schedule and national schedule as well. With BE membership in midwest (Cincy), south (WVU, Louisivlle), South Florida, NE footprint (New England to Wash DC), the BE with Notre Dame gains almost 2/3 of all the US regions.

Keeping Southern California on the Notre Dame schedule as planned would bring the number of games to 9 including Navy as a BE conference game.

Notre Dame would have 3 games to schedule other non conference made for TV type games such as Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, etc. This would help NBC with marketing and not hurt Notre Dame's BCS chances as the school would have a chance of winning the BE football championship. Losing a difficult made for TV game would not hurt BCS chances with the Big Est conference football championship to fall back on.

Both Army and Navy are improving and having 11 teams would provide a cusion to the bottom teams to build and maintain a regular strong 8 or 9 team core for Big East football.

TV potentail would be equal to any other BCS conference and BCS membership would finally be put to rest.

Memo to Notre Dame officials. This alignment has fast tract to national title for Notre Dame written all over it and at the same time preserves the new BE basketball league of 16 members that will be second to non for all other sports.

Army and Navy bring national prestige and academic excellence that Notre Dame prefers and the rotating BE schedules allows Notre Dame flexabilty in scheduling teams for TV purposes and most importantly adds long term stablity to the entire Big East.

A couple of BE football championship and BCS bowl representation would be just the shot in the arm the Notre Dame football program needs. All the school has to do is compare Notre Dame basketball before and after Big East membership and the results are clear on benefits.

^I think this alignment works if you could get Norte Dame to go along with it.

Also, NBC may be interested in covering BE games, if you got Norte Dame.

They could do a Saturday BE doubleheader, with one ND game per week, and the other game would be other BE members.

Also, maybe a cable version of NBC could provide BE games on Saturday evening. MSNBC or Bravo or CNBC. Two of those are financial/news stations, so maybe that wouldn't work. Bravo is a cultural arts and entertainment network. But they have the Olympics on, so maybe they could do a little college sports too.

This way the BE would be out front, and on another network. Would be great exposure for the conference.

But this is only if you could get ND, which is a big if. I can only see them doing it if they don't lose anything but gain something from such an alliance. Maybe they keep their expected share from NBC?

Yes that itis where the BE is likely headed for football.All will make money and ND will have its way.

Lash -

I think that's a pretty good idea. I take it that Army and Navy would be for FB-only?

One point, Pitt is now rotated off the schedule and isn't on the schedule in the future, although Pitt has historically played ND many, many times.

If ND agrees to join, I think they would be able to convince Army and Navy to at least a partial schedule (4/4). Would Navy and Army bring enough $$$ to make it worthwhile? Navy said they wanted to keep a national schedule as well. I think Army hinted at the same thing?

I'm not sure what the chances of this happening though. I think it really depends on the BCS contract.
Will the BE still have the BCS in 2008? I remember reading that it might not just be the conference champ that determines if the BCS bid is kept, but it may also include the 'strength' of the conference. I take that to mean the conference must also have X many teams in the Top-25 (X = at least one other team besides the conference champ).

I think you are correct they would have to guarentee ND $10 per year (like Miami). Perhaps something in addition if they are the BCS rep (like TS2 said?)

Anyway, If ND committs to the BE, that would surely keep the BE together as a 16-team hybrid. It would certainly be NDs easiest chance to goto a BCS game or National Championship game.

PatherSC97, for any conference to work, all teams must play the same number of games. This is just logical. So Army and Navy would have to play the same number of football conference games as any other team. Notre Dame would also need to play the same number of conference games. The trick is how may home and home conference games for a team or teams and which teams would play each other to reach the required 8 conference games.

If you read between the lines, Navy is already planning for future Big East membership. Navy never considered Conf USA membership when Army was there, however, Navy has stated that BE membership would be of interest if the opportunity were provided. So no need to twist Army and Navy's arm especially if BE created the 11 team football league with Notre Dame as a full member.

11 teams are ideal for Notre Dame as most teams would rotate on and off the schedule as long as Notre Dame maintained the required number of conference games. So maybe Navy would be the only permanent conference game and all other teams including Pitt would rotate on and off the schedule.

This model would work basically the same as the Big 10 will 11 members. Ohio State and Michigan play every year and the other teams rotate off the schedule every few years to keep every member playing 8 conference games.

As for the BCS, I dont think the BCS will risk making any more restrictions other than an average ranking of a conference team to have 12 or better. Remember the BCS is still under the watchful eye of US Congress regardless if football fans like that or not. Adding multiple teams having to be ranked has monopoly slant to the larger conferences.

I do think the BE will need to have one member ranked 12th or higher in each of the next four years to remain a part of the BCS. This ranking may have other variable such as average AP and US Today Coached poll points average and not just the average ranking in the polls. I do not see the BCS taking the risk to require multiple teams needing to be ranked in the top 25. If a conference has one team that consisting rank in the top 10 there is no way you can keep that team from playing in a regular BCS game. Besides, the bowls will want that team that reached a 12th ranking to play in one of the BCS bowls.

The one area that could cause gaps in the BE 11 team model is BE maintaining BCS membership.

Even then, I cant see why the new 8 football schools would not want Notre Dame part of the league. If a school played a conference games with 2 for 1 against Notre Dame, the two away conference games would be on national TV and the home game would be a gurantee sell out and most likely TV as well.

As for Notre Dame, this school almost has to do something to get the football program back on a national scale and regular BCS participation. Again this 11 team alignment provides the most flexiable schedule for Notre Dame.

I see it as a win/win for Big East football, Big East all sports, Notre Dame football, Army and Navy football, Big East TV contracts.

There really is no negative issues that I can see from this 11 team football alignment. No other conferences would be impacted with expansion. Notre Dame gets a good deal and the other football schools get a good deal.

Why wait until 2008, some of Notre Dame, Army, and Navy non conference football games could count as conference games until a full 8 league schedule could be accomodated.

Maybe it is just a coincidence that Notre Dame is clearing its schedule in the number of years that a conference or school has to prove BCS worthiness. Four years or 2008 are very interesting numbers.

ND will have a special deal for sure.They will play Army and Navy each year.They will not mind playing Syracuse,Pitt and WVU.I still think there will be 11 teams but three will play some what of a reduced schedule.What counts is money with ND there will be money.A game at ND is a million dollars.There is more profit there than anything but a BCS bowl.

Georgia Southern's former coach has gotten things turned around at Navy--for now. And, Army has got Bobby Ross now.
Army's recent C-USA experience was quite awful. Would an even more competitive BE be wise for Army?
If Army and Navy were admitted to the BE for bb only, then is it back to the "Temple problem" except just a different school(s)?

Notre Dame plays Navy every year, and Army and Air Force less frequently. While the service academies are federal and have "national" followings, playing Army and Navy both, and all the time, really is not that "national". Teams that have "national" followings, in one interpretative way, are those that have had impressive success during recent years. In other words, if Notre Dame booked a game with "Idaho" or "LA-L", that may not be what they had in mind as "national".

Your post is interesting, Lash, et. al. If only ND was playing BE fb, that would be nice, no need to add others unless they wanted to. Maybe something, indeed will be "up" with ND overhauling its future fb schedules.

Has anyone else been lockout of this thread like lash was?

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