It’s because USC and Notre Dame used to be one of the few teams on tv back when there were only 4 tv stations before cable. Once cable hit with espn etc then any team could grow their brand if good enough. Those 2 were monsters in the 70s. Whoever won that game would likely win the national championship back then.
Cable tv changed things for the lesser teams or teams not usc, Notre dame etc.
My bucket list had “Notre Dame vs USC football game”. Been there did that. Wish I hadn’t- boring as crap game watching middling teams.
How come this applies here but a commuter school getting AAU and the big 10 having a non AAU school and not having contiguous state members doesn’t ?
Because:
a) one non-flagship commuter school getting AAU is literally the exception that proves the rule; just as languages often have spelling or grammar exceptions to the rule…they are just that; EXCEPTIONS; the rule remains and the exceptions prove the rule AND
b) the other was UNprecedented for the B1G.
In this case, BY CONTRAST, we have a very recent precedent that is directly on point.
The PAC.
It lost its big brands, lost much of its value as a result, had no viable expansion possibilities at that point, and collapsed.
Same here.
If the ACC likewise loses its big brands, it too will lose much of its value as a result, and likewise will have no viable value-adding expansion possibilities, as the only value adding G5 brands have already joined the Big 12.
Most likely result based on that most recent precedent: COLLAPSE!!!
That IS precedented!
I don’t think it’s necessarily the fact that the PAC lost its brands that caused its collapse, it’s just that the conference wanted 50 Million per school, and ESPN was never going to give them that without USC/UCLA
The entire conference including Oregon/Washington was willing to hear out prospective media deals to keep the conference together, but none of the deals were satisfying enough for them, so they (Oregon & Washington) bolted for the B1G for partial shares.
Now it’s probably likely that ESPN purposefully gave them a crap deal on the table that they knew would be unacceptable. In any other time in history, ESPN would’ve negotiated something. However, it’s clear ESPN wanted to get rid of Wazzu & Oregon State
ESPN knew the Big 12 would save the Four Corners, and they knew the ACC would negotiate for Stanford & Cal
USC, Notre Dame, Pitt, Texas and Nebraska were the blue bloods during those years (and Army)
In the 1970s, Army was no longer a power.
But the other schools…yeah.
Can UH develop a game day tradition similar to this one?
Not even UT could do this lol
Southern schools don’t have this type of tradition, except for maybe Texas A&M
they were never going to get 50 mil even WITH USC/UCLA, that was crux of problem for the PAC…I think PAC contract last year was 32 or 33 million…Losing the LA schools and the whole southern California market was a calamity for the PAC…ESPN offered 24.6 million, a fairly respectable offer, and was turned down.
HUGE mistake. The fan bases dont want to hear about Apple or Amazon…they want ESPN and the networks… the TV situation and lack of a contract destroyed the league…Big 12 was far wiser and immediately took an ESPN/Fox offer that admittedly was a better offer than what PAC got. After Texas/OU announced leaving, there was a very shaky period where A) Tech, TCU, Okie State, and Houston came to Cali to talk to PAC and hear PAC views on expansion…PAC announcement was NO EXPANSION at this time. Kansas was exploring going to BIG and was likewise told no…AFTER this, leadership in our league was determined to keep league together and networks knew that… Big 12 expanded, stabilized and got a good respectable TV deal. and when opportunity came to raid PAC, Big 12 did not hesitate…just like we wont hesitate with ACC schools. We had and have today, good leadership. LOVE being in Big 12!
That’s a difficult hypothetical to justify because USC/UCLA is essentially what triggered this modern wave of realignment
If you take away all outside factors/forces - I do believe that the PAC12 with USC/UCLA could grab a 50 Million media deal. But again that’s disregarding all other outside forces. USC/UCLA will make more in the B1G than anything they would’ve been offered in the PAC12, and I doubt the networks wanted the PAC to remain together
Believe me, USC and UCLA werent going to get the PAC an 18 million per school raise in one year, with PAC staying as was…USC/UCLA stood with crossed arms and unhappy looks at the meeting where PAC ignored the chance to raid the Big 12 and severely compromise the Big 12 for the future and help themselves…Instead they did what they had been doing for a long time previous…NOTHING. THAT day, i promise you, USC and UCLA KNEW they had to leave and began to make plans accordingly. and PAC was doomed.
I do believe apple, amazon and others are waiting to poach espn when the time is right. espn keeps laying off people. This is not a good sign.
The PAC suffered from left coast hubris, thinking that nothing would touch them and of course the networks were going to pay for it. Add to that thinking to stand pat without aggressively trying to expand was doom.
The PAC could have expanded when mad cows u located in Austin destroyed the SWC. They did not. That was the fatal decision. The PAC made the same mistake again when the BIG 12 was looking at expanding around 2017. The PAC commissioners only have themselves to blame…These guys were paid $M’s.
Here come the Irish! Check out why they schedule Navy every year. It’s an awesome story and gives you insight into ND’s way of thinking.
Here’s a 2023 article on that subject.
During WWII, ND hosted the Navy’s V-12 program; it helped ND at a time when they were cash strapped, and, at the same time, produced A LOT of Commissioned Officers for the war effort.
To this day, ND still has one of the largest Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC programs in the country.
As pay back, ND has always scheduled Navy; even though, at one point, they won like 40 straight against them.
Navy always plays their home game against ND at a neutral site, simply because their little Roberston-sized stadium can’t possibly accommodate the crowd. Most recently, that was in Dublin, Ireland.
Notre Dame is better off where they are as an independent. History proves it.
Exactly. They are in national tv every game. Why give that up.
The big 10 is indeed begging Notre Dame to come their way.
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