Has Notre Dame's hand been forced?
Mods feel free to fold this into the other thread, but I think this has potentially huge implications for ND that deserve its own discussion.
Every year going back to 2007, Notre Dame has played five or six regular season games against B1G and Pac 12 teams. With B1G moving to a 9 game conference schedule (the Pac 12 already has one) and the apparent new scheduling agreement between the two conferences there appears to be little room left for scheduling Notre Dame. How can a revenue conscious AD justify locking themselves into an 11th home and home agreement even for the short term?
Without the B1G and Pac 12 as scheduling partners, Notre Dame will be forced to try and replace up to half of its schedule. Given the strictures of other conferences schedules it may be impossible for Notre Dame to fill out a BCS caliber slate. The end game may very well be that Notre Dame is forced to finally join a conference. A Machiavellian move by Delaney indeed.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^
Who is Notre Dame?
December 28th, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^
Some losers who lose 4+ games every year and have a coach who looks like a cabbage patch kid.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:11 PM ^
And who's most dramatic little green legend is also a white collar criminal.....RUDY...RUDY...RUDY
December 28th, 2011 at 2:15 PM ^
EDIT: Who WAS Notre Dame?
Fixed . . . . .
December 28th, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^
I like it when someone around here wakes those echos up
December 28th, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^
I believe the saying goes around here that "you can't have one without the other"...
December 28th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
The baby seal we play every September to tune up for B1G play.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^
Everything isn't always about ND. Who cares what they do?
December 28th, 2011 at 10:37 PM ^
As far as I know they care...that's about it
December 29th, 2011 at 12:59 AM ^
Notre Dame is French for Our Lady which of course refers to Mary the Virgin Mother of God. It's a Catholic thing.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:07 PM ^
I doubt it. That said, if the likes of Michigan, USC, Stanford, Purdue and MSU start not to schedule ND on a regular yearly basis...it might have an effect.
December 28th, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
Sounds like you're right... Pete Thamel, others on twitter reporting Big Ten staying at 8 conference games, Pac-12 still going to 9.
ND not forced, it seems.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^
I dont think the 9 conference game schedule is a done deal...but if it is...ya ND will be playing MAC teams.
December 28th, 2011 at 6:55 PM ^
Welcome to Philly, Coach Kelly.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:10 PM ^
USC, Stanford, Michigan and MSU replace their yearly ND game with a B1G or PAC-12 team respectively.
Those teams are the bulk of ND's SOS.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:21 PM ^
And see if all of those schools really want to force ND's hand. It would add another element to all of the rivalries if they decide to go through with it too.
December 28th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
Take USC off the list. That's untouchable. It is the original and still lasting national rivalry. The only one of it's kind. It dates back to Rockne.
I mean what's next, the Rose Bowl breaking up the Big Ten v. Pac 10 matchup or Texas and Texas A & M no longer playing?
Glad I won't live to see any of that ever happening.
December 28th, 2011 at 9:45 PM ^
Texas and A+M are no longer playing, at least UT's AD said that they have no room for out-of-conference games until 2017.
December 29th, 2011 at 9:31 AM ^
wooooooooooooosh
December 29th, 2011 at 11:11 AM ^
It's actually going to put USC and Stanford in a tough situation. They might not want to drop ND, but Larry Scott has said the P12 plans to keep its 9-game conference schedule. That means that if they play both a B10 team and ND every year, they will only have one game left to schedule. I'm pretty sure most Michigan fans would throw a tantrum if we ever boxed ourselves into a situation where we were effectively limited to selecting one different team to play every season.
December 29th, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^
Double post.
December 28th, 2011 at 10:49 PM ^
The only one safe on this list is USC - neither side wants to drop that.
MSU, because of that historic 1966 game, is probably the next safest, but it could be dropped.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:13 PM ^
Anyone else think they might start scheduling more SEC teams?
December 28th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
The Big East, they'd get destroyed by most of the SEC.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:22 PM ^
True, but it doesn't mean they would need to schedule SEC West teams. There are certainly some beatable ones in the East. Kentucky, Vandy, Mizzu, Tennessee come to mind.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:19 PM ^
I doubt SEC teams are going to want to make their schedule more difficult by dropping a soft OOC opponent in favor of the Irish and put themselves at a potential disadvantage in the conference race.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:21 PM ^
I don't. They have a sweetheart deal to the BCS. They have absolutely no incentive to play a tougher schedule. As long as the BCS contract stuff holds for them, then just schedule a bunch of Big east/MWC teams and cruise into the BCS every year.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:30 PM ^
Well that was the general thought/hope anyways...
December 28th, 2011 at 2:22 PM ^
And go from playing the B1G/PAC12 to possibly higher rated treams? I doubt it considering ND's history of scheduling cupcakes outside of their games with the likes of USC and Michigan.
The possibility of ND remaining independent is high even if the conference schedules expand, but if there was ever a time where their hand would be forced this would be it.
December 28th, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
They could be the New Boise - play/prepare for/win 1-2 tough games, then sit back and laugh their way into the BCS by playing MAC/WAC/Sun Belt competition.
Think about it, if they could spend all their time preparing for 1 or 2 decent OOC teams (say, MSU and USC) and with those games, then cruise over the likes of Army, Miami (NTM), and so on, what's to stop them from being ranked in the top 8 and going onto the BCS every year under the current agreements?
The only way that ND is going to be forced to join a conference is if they stop getting huge revenues from an exclusive TV contract and exemptions in the BCS selection criteria.
December 28th, 2011 at 6:59 PM ^
"That was my plan the whole time...play the 'seven sisters of the poor', Michigan, USC, Stanford and Michigan State. Split those last four games and you go to the BCS every year..."
December 28th, 2011 at 2:16 PM ^
...And we've got you surrounded... Now drop that peacock, and come out with your hands up!"
December 28th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
I think the OP absolutely nailed it. No matter if be design or simply a wonderful byproduct of a plan not involving them, this announcement absolutely forces ND into a conference or into a diluted scheduled of little consequence.
Someone above mentioned scheduling more SEC teams but last time I checked they were not exactly thrilled about putting difficult non-conference teams onto their schedule and they'll have their hands full already with their expanded league.
Notre Dame is finally boxed. I absolutely love it - suck on that NBC.
December 28th, 2011 at 7:04 PM ^
It's not that people don't want to see difficult non-conference games; it's that people don't like the SEC.
December 28th, 2011 at 9:12 PM ^
Big slam on Michigan-Alabama game next year to argue that it is part of the strategy of an SEC team "not exactly thrilled about putting difficult non-conference teams onto their schedule..."
December 28th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
I assume that the Pac-12 (Stanford/USC) would follow suit as well and drop ND for a B1G opponent. Why would they want to make their schedule even harder than it already is. If that happens then ND is totally screwed and would have to join a conference.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:42 PM ^
Doesn't really affect USC, as they've always scheduled very aggressively. The Big 10 game just replaces their annual game against a team from an AQ conference (past 10 years they've played auburn, nebraska, va tech, arkansas, OSU, in addition to ND)
December 28th, 2011 at 2:19 PM ^
I don't like the whole idea of forcing ND into the coference concept. If they don't want to be in the BIG then I don't want them in the BIG. One sided relationships don't work.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:26 PM ^
Well Notre Dame used to be hot and sexy and never gave you the time of day. Now they are looking like the prom queen that got fat, old and desperate. In other words they might really want a date now.
December 28th, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
Do you think Delany's diabolical plan is to get ND to beg for B1G admission so he can tell them "no!"
That would be incredibly sinister. And I'd enjoy it a lot.
December 28th, 2011 at 3:41 PM ^
Hey Guys! Oh you wann join now, sorry clubhouse is full.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^
I think we're forcing them into the resurgent Big East Conference. Along with Army, Navy, Rutgers and Louisville.
December 28th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^
And Villanova and Georgetown.
I think Notre Dame can be a power in the FCS.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:21 PM ^
This puts Notre Dame in a horrible position.
Not only are they looking at all of their marque games disappearing, but they also may be looking at any possiblity of joining the Big Ten disappearing also. With ten out of 12 teams in a year already counted for is their room to add two more teams to the conference. This may be the Big Ten and Pac-12 forcing Notre Dame to join the Big East.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
I don't know. They have a sweetheart deal with the BCS. The only thing that's going to force ND's hand is after the BCS is gone and the next system doesn't give them the same. We may not need ND on our schedule, but MSU and Purdue aren't going to give that game up easily. Those are big national games for them. USC could care less about ND's conference alignments. That game isn't going anywhere. There are alot of other schools (Florida State, Big 12 teams, etc) that would love to have a series with ND. Delaney isn't going force B1G schools to drop ND off the schedule because that would pretty much put an end to any future expansion with ND or potential relationship.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:24 PM ^
....as I was listening to the announcement of this scheduling partnership on the radio this afternoon is exactly that - "So, which conference does Notre Dame wish to join then?". If both the Pac-12 and and the B1G suddenly have no time (or very little time, say, playing only every few years) for them, then I think their status as an independent is questionable unless they want to play Wake Forest and every directional Florida school every year. Do they become an upper-tier Big East team or a middling B1G team? I wonder what their egos could handle...
December 29th, 2011 at 11:31 AM ^
ND has no good options left. Even the ACC option has major problems, most notably the size of the conference. ND would be the 15th school and the ACC almost certainly will not stop with an odd number so that means someone else will join to make 16. Even if the ACC sticks with its current format of 9 conference games, ND will limited to three OOC games each year. Assuming they elect to keep the USC and Navy games, which are the two they always insist are non-negotiable, they will only have one game a year to schedule. Bye-bye to Michigan, MSU, Purdue and Stanford.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^
Looks like ND will be joining the ACC now. A selfish move but maybe the beat one for them
December 28th, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^
IMO the ACC is already too big geographically. They go Big 12 or B1G. The Frankenstein Big East will most likely be no more by 2017.