That’s a VERY silly arrangement, as only one of ND’s traditional rivals (Pitt) is in the ACC.
Stanford could be thought of as a modern rival, I suppose, but it’s not a particularly big one.
Most of ND’s “traditional” rivals, and certainly its most heated rivals, are in the B1G (USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue). Those series go back for DECADES, and in some cases, more than a century.
Navy is the only other rivalry long enough to compare, albeit a VERY lopsided one during my lifetime. Not sure it qualifies as a “rivalry,” given that.
Notre Dame does not need the big10 but the big10 keeps insisting they join their league. The French school, that has nothing to do with the Irish is Catholic. They have enough support to be independent for as long as they want. Take that big10
Quote: It’s true that four of the six religious who founded Notre Dame with French priest Edward Sorin were Irish; that nearly all of Fr. Sorin’s successors claim Irish descent; and that the student body has always had a strong Irish presence.
Quote: The Fighting Irish nickname was first coined for the Irish immigrant soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War in what became called the Irish Brigade
Quote: The University has a valid claim to the nickname because the brigade’s beloved chaplain was Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., who later became the third president of Notre Dame.
Maybe they like the academics of the ACC and they allow only a five game schedule with lopsided benefits. Sounds like an arrangement UT would like if it could have its own viable network deal.
Why would they prefer academically to be in a league with multiple R2 schools like the ACC when they could instead be in a league with 17 other AAU schools, and most of their traditional rivals, for THREE TIMES the TV money (B1G)?
Doesn’t make sense.
As I said before, at some point ND will hopefully come to its senses.
Because they currently get all of that NBC football money and don’t have to share it. As for all other sports, the ACC is pretty good. Add to that, they are virtually guaranteed a spot in the CFB every year and don’t have to share that money either.
Given all that money, I guess they’re happy slumming it with the ACC.
Based on the numbers I saw a few months ago, ND makes about $50 million annually from TV.
That’s more than a Big 12 or ACC school, for sure.
But it’s chump change compared to the B1G.
The B1G’s forecasted payout per school under their latest TV deal is upwards of $90 million; even parasites like Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, and Maryland will be making that.
Doesn’t make sense, given that, that ND would prefer to work for so much less.
There were extenuating circumstances! Big 12 was desperate and the 2 schools that most opposed us joining had left. I’d say it was a case of neither the Big 12 nor us having a choice! They desperately needed us and we were in no position to set terms (eg full payout from day 1), let alone say no thanks!!
The best we could have hoped for was that Big 12 would force Texas to play us at our stadium, and we got there. But I’m don’t think that was demand or condition on our part! It was just the Big 12 welcome gift to us!
If we had a choice between full payout immediately or having Texas visit us, I would have preferred full pay out!
I agree tho. Notre Dame NOT having to share their CFP money with anybody else is complete BS! There should be stipulations put in for ND to remain an independent in the next CFP negotiations.
First off, they should be disqualified from hosting a home playoff game, PERIOD! The top 4 Conference Champions would still receive the bye, BUT… the first round matchups would be held in the NY6 Bowl Venues while the 2nd round matchups are on campus. Theres no reason for lower seeds to have a home game(s).
Secondly, ND’s CFP earnings should be adjusted to an individual P4 school’s CFP payout. They should NOT be able to keep all of that money to themselves.
Notre Dame is always going to get what they want. One reason is they are far less greedy than the typical P4 power school like Texas. Their presence as an ACC member in all other sports helps stabilize the ACC and keep it going. The yearly money they make is what they make and they dont worry that some P4 schools make more. They dont CARE. They have never cared, and never will. They do what they do. Do they get shown preferential treatment sometimes? Yes. Thats not going to change either. They are who they are, and who they are is unique in college football. And they have millions of fans, from coast to coast. Notre dame is always going to be part of the equation. Some people may not like it, but thats the way it is.
I’m not arguing that they shouldn’t have access to the playoffs. I’m simply pointing out how ludicrous it is that the top 4 Conference Champions’ “reward” is a neutral site playoff game. Meanwhile, a school that isn’t even in a conference is able to host a home playoff game. That devalues the conference championship games.
Also, ND is going to take home the same amount of CFP money as the entire SEC, maybe even more. Thats ridiculous. Every school NOT named Notre has got to be seething about that.
It’s not a loophole. Every CFP participant earns the same amount per round. Notre Dame (and I guess technically UConn and a few others) does not have a pre-existing agreement with a conference to share the revenue, so they receive the money directly rather than via a conference. Literally every program could choose to operate in the same manner if they so choose, (i.e. UConn). The reality is that due to an extremely unique fanbase and history, Notre Dame is the only one that can pull it off.
This year only solidifies the reason why Notre Dame does NOT need to be in a conference.
For me, it also signifies why the ACC will STAY intact.
The B1G is at 18 and they need to see if they like that large number, and in a new time zone, before adding 2 more not named Notre Dame.
The SEC is reactive and glacial slow when it comes to expansion, usually following a move by the B1G. They’ve only added 4 schools since the early 90s.
As long as Notre Dame stays INDEPENDENT, there will not be any movement anytime soon.
Call it what you want. I call it a loophole that wasn’t thought through very well during the rushed CFP negotiations; just like the asinine structure that kept the top 4 seeds from hosting a home playoff game. I could care less about Notre Dame’s fanbase; there needs to be some consistency in the CFP payout.
I agree with all of your points, but I wasn’t suggesting another round of realignment. I’m saying there needs to be guardrails regarding CFP payout for independent teams who don’t have to participate in a CCG. The “reward” for these conference champions playing that extra game should outweigh any demands made from Notre Dame.
is wrong