NCAABBS MB thread discussing Chip Brown report that ND will make non-FB conference decision within next 60 days.Link at http://www.ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=524811

Ultimatums and Deadlines mean nothing to Notre Dame.

Unless Swarbick announced something like that at a press conference, why would nayone believe it ?

Notre Dame is under no pressure to do anything... they can continue indefinitely as a member of the BE / FB indy.

If they feel that situation is turning ugly, I'm not sure they have any pressure to resolve it by a deadline.

The Big Ten will be waiting with open arms, the minute that ND is wiling to commit thier FB program to a conference.

Unless the ACC and /or Big XII (I have a really hard time picturing ND in the Big XII) told Notre Dame that those leagues wanted to expand
and would "invite" ND, if they were ready to move in 60 days, otherwise they would proceed with an expansion that doesn't include them.
If ND says "we need more time", they'd get it....

I would forsee Notre Dame taking the Big 12 offer for non-football if the Big East continues down their path.

While they like the NYC ties, they'd just schedule St. John's in men's basketball.
(Women's basketball top 25 teams always play each other, they'd be fine).

The level of competition in the Big 12 with Texas and Oklahoma would be far better than the Big East.

The bigger question is "would BYU join the Big 12 for football to make a defacto12-team "all-sports league"

_________________
1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

Notre Dame 1 and O in ACC play.

Notre Dame goes 4-0 versus the ACC

Irish 15, Pitt 12
Irish 24, Wake 17
Irish 45, Maryland 21
Irish 16, BC 14

Maybe Notre Dame can restore their greatness by joining the ACC.

Assuming that Notre Dame could beat Syracuse and UConn, the Irish would easily compete with Virginia and Virginia Tech for the ACC North title.

In a conference, one does not cherry pick their conference opponents.
ND played Wake on the road (one of a very few) before the ACC's smallest stadium. Yet, they refused to play at the campus stadiums of Rutgers and UCONN when they made some verbal promise a few years back to schedule 4 BE games yearly.

I was kinda joking above, sorry I forgot the .

In all seriousness though, joining the ACC in football could possibly provide an easier path to the National Championship than what the Irish are currently doing.

Hypothetically, Notre Dame would join the ACC North (the old Big East) with UConn for 16 teams. The ACC adopts a 9 game conference schedule. Notre Dame is added to Pitt, Syracuse, BC, UConn, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Maryland.

The Irish say good bye to Michigan State, Purdue and Stanford from their schedule. They play all 7 "North Division" teams and 2 rotating "South Division" games along with Michigan, Navy and Southern Cal. Notre Dame's road to an undefeated season is basically 3 maybe 4 games. (Virginia Tech, Michigan, USC and maybe Clemson, FSU or GT in they catch'em on their up year). This is certainly an easier road to the National Championship than joining the B1G TEN.

I know the Irish are all about tradition but there is something to be said for winning championships (or at least to the championship game).

I've heard from quite a few ND fans that they prefer the ACC w/ UConn other the B1G, and a couple of them want to join now because they think it would be better than being an independent in the BE. Like we've all pointed out the ACC is still behind SEC/B1G/PAC/B12 in terms of fb stregth so joining them gives ND a pretty easy path to BCS games, better basketball than the new BE, and even more money (I think...). ND should join the ACC, drop all rivalries but Michigan and USC but play them on and off every two years, this leaves them two OOC games to schedule with other big OOC teams or room to continue a few of their other rivalries (Navy, Stanford, Michigan St, Purdue) on an irregular basis...

Just because half of ND's current games are traditional rivalries doesn't help that they really only play 2-3 ranked teams each year, schools like FL St VA Tech and Clemson can get away with it because they play in a weaker conference so they get a pass, but their weaker games against ACC teams are still better than some of ND's schedule fillers. ND gets the benefit of the doubt from the voters but no respect from the CPU's, and that means a ton in the BCS.

_________________
Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

I don't see why any conference with 12+ teams would want a nine-game conference schedule.

With eight games, you can play 4 OOC home games every year; and bring more OOC wins into conference (which makes you look better).

If your last-place team can win TWO conference games in an eight-game schedule, they can schedule four cupcakes out of conference and have EVERYONE in the league be bowl eligible.

_________________
1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

So you can play everyone in your conference at least every 2 to 4 years.

When you go to 12+ with divisions, you HAVE to play a round-robin in your division. The number of inter-division games is flexible.

So for 6 team divisons, you start with 5, with 7 you start with 6, and with 8 (ACC might get there soon) you start with 7 INTRA-division games.

For the INTER-division games, you probably need a minimum of 2 (so that it doesn't take forever to get through the rotation), then you need
to add in the protected inter-divisional "rivalry" game(s).

For the PAC-12, they chose 5 + 2 + 2 (the 2 rivalry games dictated by politics of splitting the California teams).

The SEC (14) will need to go to 6 + 2 + 1 (when each divisin is expanded to 7).

ACC may be much the same. I THINK they currently have a rivalry games (i.e. Miami vs. Fla. St.) due to the zipper.
If they added 2 more to the North, they could un-do the zipper, and eliminate the rivalry (games wthih woud become annual intra-division) and go to 7 +2 + 0.

I'm not sure if the Big Ten is 5 + 2 + 1 or 5 + 3 + 1. I thought there was talk of a 9-game conf. schedule.

One incentive for the 9-game conference schedule is that the OOC games with "mid-majors" involve a big cash payment (like $700,000 is not atypical).
The conf. teams can keep that money in-house, and increase their inventory for the TV network by only playing 3 OOC games instead of 4.
The dis-incentive ? Playing a conf. game (vs. an OOC "body bag" game) has more likelihood of getting an L instead of a W.

Seanbo, I understood your good point and the implied humor.

As to 8 or 9 conference games, the views are mixed, even within a given conference. In the SEC for example, certain schools have on-going in-state rivalries with other BCS conference schools (UGA-GT, SC-Clemson, UF-FSU, Kentucky-L'ville; and once the bitterness subsides, maybe Texas A&M/UT & Mizzou/Kansas---and/or unbitter LSU-Tulane-if get better--non BCS--renewed more often). Also, in So. Car. for example, there is pressure/desire to play an in-state FBS school each year, such as Wofford or The Citadel; and So. Car. may want to play a North Car. school, such as ECU, each year as well for recruiting and marketing purposes. That leaves little room for OOC picks or scheduling an untraditional big game with another BCS conference or top independent.

On the other hand, Alabama, for example, has all their traditional rivalries in conference. And, they have to desire no schedule UAB, Troy, etc. as in-state fb competition. They did play Georgia Southern this year, which proved to be a tougher offensive opponent than expected.

So, Alabama can schedule Penn State sometimes as an example of a big OOC game. But there are too few of these type of encounters OOC.

I like OOC games that make sense beyond cupcake scheduling. Playing at least one OOC BCS opponent from another conference should be expected.

Arkansas helping out Arkansas State would be nice too.

As to Notre Dame, I do believe the school, if they join an all-sports conference anytime for the near future, would prefer the ACC over the B10. They'll stand-out more, and they don't want the midwestern regionalism label among other concerns.

I like numbers neat, consistent, and tidy...so I'd plug them into the B-12 who has plenty of expansion room and could use them affirmatively. Won't happen.

The Irish will be staying an independent
http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.c ... 2/33756234

No real surprise there.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State in Champs Bowl---a 5th ACC game

Irish 15, Pitt 12
Irish 24, Wake 17
Irish 45, Maryland 21
Irish 16, BC 14