beaverdaleguy
Well-Known Member
Lloyd Carr makes a prediction: Notre Dame will join Big Ten | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Notre Dame to Big Ten before 2012.
Notre Dame to Big Ten before 2012.
Lloyd Carr's Prediction
- Thread starter beaverdaleguy
- Start date
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
As conference expansion continues throughout the yrs, I feel they will be forced to. More emphasis will be put on conference games so it will be difficult for independents to get a whole schedule of "quality" games. Notre Lames hand will be forced & I think they will end up folding their poker hand to the Big10.
beaverdaleguy
Well-Known Member
it doesnt matter how many times they say no, the big ten will never say forget it if ND comes knocking. National name brand, HUGE football history...forget trying to weasel into a 'market' or city...imagine how many cable providers will need to start carrying BTN if ND joins because their alumni and fan base demand it? That big of a private institution with as many alumni and fans as it has (not to mention Catholic connections -- Catholics root for ND even if they have zero connection to it) will scream for BTN from La Jolla to Augusta, Maine and West Palm Beach to Puget Sound.
INTIMIDATORHawk
Well-Known Member
That leads to the question of who will be the other school to join? I don't think the Big Ten will be content with an odd number of teams again.
ND sucks. Which division will they be part of to "balance things out"?
ND sucks. Which division will they be part of to "balance things out"?
beaverdaleguy
Well-Known Member
you'd have to put them with michigan and michigan state, so the other school would have to come from the east -- maryland, rutgers, boston college (plays ND)....doesn't matter. We'd only play that other team three or four times a decade anyway.
silvanthalas
Well-Known Member
In the West, with another eastern school joining (Rutgers, etc).
ThunderHawk
Well-Known Member
Rutgers is about as sexy as Meg Whitman.
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
BC is very intriguing. My wife's brothers both played hockey there recently, so I got to learn about the university. It's a fantastic school. Also, it's in the New England market. Not a bad thing. Solid sports. Small school (smaller than Northwestern). Fantastic academics.
edit: I would love to add ND and BC to the big 10.
ThunderHawk
Well-Known Member
BC would be a fine addition.
If you wanted to give Notre Dame the best offer, getting Boston College and then swapping Purdue and Wisconsin gives Notre Dame 4 of their "traditional" rivals (assuming Boston College becomes their protected rival).
Or, leave Purdue and Wisconsin and have the league protect two rivals.
By switching these from independent games to conference games, you keep 1/3 of their schedule unchanged, free up the 1/3 preseason to keep Navy, USC, and one "special game" (Yankee Stadium, Texas Stadium, Ireland, etc), and then replace their crap games (Western Michigan, Connecticut, Washington State, Army/Air Force/random) with Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, etc.
Not sure why Notre Dame would NOT like that schedule. I realize they wouldn't like being forced into a conference, but considering they are operating on pure history at the moment, this is an incredible offer for them.
Additionally, if the Pac-12, Big 10, ACC, and SEC go to 16 teams (and the Big East and Big 12 lose their conference/automatic-qualifier), then more than likely each conference will get 3 to 4 BCS games. I'm not sure what is more likely, Notre Dame finishing in the Top 4 of the Big 10 or Top 8 in the country, but I would guess Top 4 in the Big 10.
Or, leave Purdue and Wisconsin and have the league protect two rivals.
By switching these from independent games to conference games, you keep 1/3 of their schedule unchanged, free up the 1/3 preseason to keep Navy, USC, and one "special game" (Yankee Stadium, Texas Stadium, Ireland, etc), and then replace their crap games (Western Michigan, Connecticut, Washington State, Army/Air Force/random) with Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, etc.
Not sure why Notre Dame would NOT like that schedule. I realize they wouldn't like being forced into a conference, but considering they are operating on pure history at the moment, this is an incredible offer for them.
Additionally, if the Pac-12, Big 10, ACC, and SEC go to 16 teams (and the Big East and Big 12 lose their conference/automatic-qualifier), then more than likely each conference will get 3 to 4 BCS games. I'm not sure what is more likely, Notre Dame finishing in the Top 4 of the Big 10 or Top 8 in the country, but I would guess Top 4 in the Big 10.
silvanthalas
Well-Known Member
Outside of ND, it's going to be about markets, and Rutgers has it in NYC. It's the only reason Missouri, with St. Louis and Kansas City, was even rumored to be headed to the Big Ten earlier this year.
Which is why I can't see the Big Ten taking a Syracuse or Pitt.
