Jaqen H'ghar

December 19th, 2013 at 3:33 PM ^

Before this season I would've said this means that ND is finally looking to schedule another tough opponent. But after Purdue gave em all they could handle, dare I say it

Notre Dame is chickening out of a rivalry with Purdue...

One Inch Woody…

December 19th, 2013 at 3:39 PM ^

Yeah the ACC has multiple purdues to provide cannon fodder for nd. Boston College, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Virginia, UNC now, +more. With the level that ND recruits at, I think they expect to at least contend for the #3 spot behind Florida State and Clemson.

93Grad

December 19th, 2013 at 3:38 PM ^

to take away support from Michigan fans claim that ND was chicken.  Now ND can point to dropping Purdue and say "see, it wasn't because we were scared of Michigan, we just want to move away from Midwest teams..."

 

/s (kinda)

NittanyFan

December 19th, 2013 at 5:38 PM ^

Michigan ought to do ND a favor and cancel the 2014 game in South Bend.  Michigan can perhaps replace ND with a home-and-home with Stanford (Stanford still has 1 OOC game to schedule in 2014)?

 

ND's back-handed scheduling move against U-M demands a return favor.

NittanyFan

December 19th, 2013 at 6:07 PM ^

So I'm probably wishing for something unrealistic there.  Still would be awesome to screw ND, under the guise of "helping them with their schedule overload."

 

Regarding: ND and having 13 games scheduled for 2014, my source there is the FBSchedules.com site, which is usually pretty reliable.  9 games with set dates, plus 4 games vs. ACC foes with a date TBD.

 

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-14/indep/2014-notre-dame-fighting-irish-football-schedule.php

hart20

December 19th, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^

There have been rumors in the past that the Big Ten wanted to stop allowing ND play a quasi-Big Ten schedule in efforts to force them to join a conference.

LSAClassOf2000

December 19th, 2013 at 3:59 PM ^

Notre Dame AD Morgan Burke, quoted over at ComcastSportsNet Chicago:

"(Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick) and I tried everything we could to keep the series going without interruption, but between the Big Ten going to a nine-game schedule and Notre Dame's affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference, it just didn't work out. The series is important to both schools, and we are pleased that we are able to extend it through 2026." 

I personally think that Notre Dame doesn't want to risk losing the Shillelagh Trophy for the foreseeable future (I know, Purdue, so minimal risk typically) . Either that, or they have convinced themselves that playing Wake Forest and North Carolina State is just going to be so awesome that it is worth the suspension of this rivalry. 

Maizenblueball

December 19th, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^

Didn't Notre Dame use Purdue and MSU as examples of rivalries that were more important to them than the rivalry with Michigan?..now they are dropping Purdue.  Interesting...Oh wait, is it because Purdue is already part of your recruiting footprint??  Assholes.  Let's see you drop USC and lose that LA market, since USC is not part of the ACC.

F Notre Dame!!

bluebyyou

December 19th, 2013 at 4:54 PM ^

While this year's Alabama team might have been an exception to the rule, I don't see too many istances where a team should even be considered for the four team playoffs without having been in a conference playoff game. ND avoids this additional hurdle.  Screw them.

I dumped the Dope

December 19th, 2013 at 7:49 PM ^

I think the playoff system going forward is going to favor conference champs as contenders for the 4 (8 someday ?) spots.  Independents would have a really hard time, although ND plays a fairly tough nationwide schedule.  But winning the conference is like an early round playoff of sorts, and they would be on the outside trying to fit in..  It wouldn't surprise me to see ND just muddle into the ACC for good within 5 years,

phork

December 20th, 2013 at 9:43 AM ^

The first part I find so funny is that you hate ND and glad they didn't join the BIG (again) but are all butt hurt that they dumped you.  I remember threads around here detailing the BIG moving to 9 game schedules and ND would be left out in the cold.  Guess what?  ND doesn't need the BIG like you all believe it does.

Its a good scheduling move because it lightens the load.  Automatically every year ND plays UM, MSU, Stanford, USC.  Usually they are 4 teams that belong in the top 20.  Add in atleast one marquee matchup with the Shamrock series.  We just played a home & home with Oklahoma.

Not many teams play that guantlet year in and year out.  And frankly the ACC is rising while the BIG is still floundering.

On a secondary level I think its funny when you also run the guantlet of MACtion every year, including every conceivable Michigan directional school.  Then you claim your schedule is strong because you play a tough conference slate comprised of Minnesota, Indiana and the rest of the bottom feeders and then cap it off with a loss to a way over rated OSU.

Lastly if you can't see the benefits of aligning with the ACC (think recruiting, bowl tie ins) then I can't help you.  Hitching up the ND wagon to the BIG doesn't really increase the natural footprint.  Aligning with the ACC does.

Rochester Blue

December 20th, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^

Who got schooled? ND has played 1 SEC school in the last 16 years. And lots of teams play the "gauntlet" you speak of. There are usually 4-5 Top20 caliber teams in each conference, and even if a team doesn't play each of them, they usually also have at least 1 tough non-conference opponent. Playing Stanford, MSU, USC and U-M, most years, isn't generally that much different than playing Nebraska, MSU, OSU and ND (and/or Wisconsin and PSU). B10 teams play gauntlets. SEC teams play gauntlets. I'm not saying ND doesn't have some tough schedules, but don't think that just because their opponents are national that they're tougher. ND has a few toughies, a few mid-rangers, and plenty of Army/Navy/Duke/Wake/Rice/UMass/Temple games too.

youn2948

December 20th, 2013 at 1:07 PM ^

Basically it is all about $$$ and TV exposure.

Playing Army in Texas is beyond brilliant IMO.  Fill that stadium with enlisted who are based there.

Purdue does next to nothing.

Playing both UM and MSU I agree is stupid.  Pick one.  MSU they're betting will regress to mean or lose coaches. 

They want to convince the media on the east coast i.e. NBC to pay them out the arse.  Also if they joined a conference they'd have to revenue share.  Right now they can use and abuse ACC as they see fit.  ACC is desperate to not be known as the Atlantic Crud Conference.  Lucky for them FSU is in the title game, if they win it, then the perception skyrockets.  Even if Wake Forest still sucks.  Idiot pollsters will give ND 4x the street cred for beating them versus playing a Big 10 team, because the ACC has a recent championship.  I hope ND can pull SEC and ACC recruits and lose out on midwest ones to the Big Ten.

Now if Saban would stop poaching our 5 stars and we can start getting red shirt seniors to plow over defensive linemen I can watch Michigan football instead of play NCAA 14 to get my desired outcome....

WestQuad

December 20th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^

ND has spent 18 of the last 33 years playing .500 football.  Holtz and now Kelly are the only thing saving them from complete irrelevance.  An ND friend says that they are trying to keep themselves as a national brand instead of a regional player.   The ACC, Texas and the two Cali games give them exposure across the nation in football hotbeds (ACC includes the state of Florida.)  Playing some decent schools will help them return to their .500 ways.   I hope they come crawling back to the Big Ten, are rejected and have to beg to join the MAC.  ( I like the MAC)