Will ND need to join a conference eventually?
- Thread starter Op2
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Yes...they're losing money by being stubborn. Eventually they join the Big Ten. It's their only real option. The ACC will die next and the Big XII should just be 12 divisions of 4 as the second level lol
At some point there is the big 10 and the sec and the rest are left out. Notre Dame can decide to be a part of the new modern football or not. If not, I would imagine the other 2 conferences agree not to schedule them. Notre Dame can play the 3 service academies and a few of the teams left out of the 2 super conferences. They will slowly fall to the level of the service academies should they remain independent.
Why is that necessarily so? Doesn't it come down to how much money ND can make from TV for their football?
Also, I don't think the rest are going to be left out. There are too many to be left out. There are a lot more in the "rest" than there are in the SEC and Big Ten. If they're left out then what incentive do their fans have to watch SEC and Big Ten football? If Penn State wasn't in the SEC or Big Ten and wasn't going to be and wasn't going to have a realistic chance to be on their level, would you bother to watch their games?
Yes I watch the games. I'll be watching them even though Penn State won't be reduced to that level.
FBS will split into 3 levels and tier 2 will still be widely popular and produce great game with future NFL talent
The BIG should stop scheduling them, and then it should work itself out one way or another.
Okay, so what would happen if the BiG stopped scheduling them? That's an interesting question.
They have a deal with the ACC that if they get to play non-rev sports with the ACC, they'll play at least four ACC schools per year, or something like that. If the ACC goes away they'll have to either get another deal or have no place for their non-rev sports but (a) even if some schools leave the ACC , the ACC ain't going away and (b) even if the ACC did go away some other conference would make a deal with ND.
If the alternative is ND joining the Big Ten, thereby making the Big Ten even more powerful, then other conferences have an incentive to make a deal with ND to deter ND from joining the Big Ten.
Soon it will be like AFC and NFC to NFL
ND will be forced to capitulate. In 2030 the big ten will freeze them out of all the major markets and if NBC wants part of that they will not renew ND.
Just a matter of 6 years and they will join or become irrelevant
Just a matter of 6 years and they will join or become irrelevant
I don't see how the Big Ten could freeze them out of markets. The TV networks are going to do what the Big Ten tells them? I doubt that.
Also, if ND did have to join a conference, the SEC would take them in a second.
But that would be two conferences forcing ND's hand whereas if ND joined a conference they could only join one. Since ND would probably join the Big Ten if they were forced to join a conference, the SEC has no incentive to not play them and thereby help the Big Ten.
ND would never join the SEC. They are philosophically in alignment with the B1G, which is even further strengthened by the new schools coming onboard. And ND considers themselves national. The B1G is national. The SEC is more regional.
Well, despite what they may say, they are in the ACC now. As long as they have their own TV contract for football, they won't need to join up with the big boys.
This is the answer. My dislike for those arrogant a-holes just grows and grows
ND is national because they're not in a conference and thus can play anyone. Even if a conference covers the entire nation, if you're in it you have to play nine games a year against schools in that conference.
Personally, I think nd’s window is closing fast, if it’s not already closed. Yeah, they’ll go to a conference - it’ll be the acc, and it’ll be the right cultural fit for them.
The reality is the football brand has been grifting the past few years, and it shows quickly when the weather turns cold. their mindset is much more as an undergrad u than a research u, and they’re comparatively small.
The reality is the football brand has been grifting the past few years, and it shows quickly when the weather turns cold. their mindset is much more as an undergrad u than a research u, and they’re comparatively small.
Until:
1. NBC quits giving big money to ND for their games
2. ND is locked out of the playoff
...ND is truthfully in the driver seat of navigating this going forward. Both conferences would love to add them to their harem. Multiple SEC teams have games scheduled vs ND in the coming years such as:
-A&M in '24/'25
-Arkansas in '25/'28
-Bama in '29/'30
-Florida in '31/'33
During the same period, you would find Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan from the Big 10. Unless both sides pay their way out of these games and sign a "lock ND out" contract, locking them out isn't as feasible.
At the end of the day, I could see ND position itself for both with an outside shot they might even consider the Big 12 if the money follows them along with a playoff spot to the Big 12. Essentially, the current setup they have (national schedule that varies in difficulty) with a blatant but easier path to the playoff.
1. NBC quits giving big money to ND for their games
2. ND is locked out of the playoff
...ND is truthfully in the driver seat of navigating this going forward. Both conferences would love to add them to their harem. Multiple SEC teams have games scheduled vs ND in the coming years such as:
-A&M in '24/'25
-Arkansas in '25/'28
-Bama in '29/'30
-Florida in '31/'33
During the same period, you would find Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan from the Big 10. Unless both sides pay their way out of these games and sign a "lock ND out" contract, locking them out isn't as feasible.
At the end of the day, I could see ND position itself for both with an outside shot they might even consider the Big 12 if the money follows them along with a playoff spot to the Big 12. Essentially, the current setup they have (national schedule that varies in difficulty) with a blatant but easier path to the playoff.
Notre Dame's current NBC contract runs through the '24 season at about $22 mil per year. They also get $11 mil per year from the ACC for the other sports.
The key lynchpin is how much they can negotiate with NBC for their next deal. They want $65-$75 mil annually. If they get this or maybe more then they will stay independent. I read that their ratings have been way down (48%) but did bring in a "record streaming audience".
The fly in the ointment could be if they don't have a reasonable path to the playoff being an independent. Not sure how that could work to penalize them and not sure any of these conference commissioners will have the guts to construct a playoff selection system that screws ND in some way.
The key lynchpin is how much they can negotiate with NBC for their next deal. They want $65-$75 mil annually. If they get this or maybe more then they will stay independent. I read that their ratings have been way down (48%) but did bring in a "record streaming audience".
The fly in the ointment could be if they don't have a reasonable path to the playoff being an independent. Not sure how that could work to penalize them and not sure any of these conference commissioners will have the guts to construct a playoff selection system that screws ND in some way.
For all intent and purposes, ND is already a member of a conference called the ACC. By agreement they play 6 ACC schools every year.
Notre Dame cannot qualify for the ACC championship game. They did in 2020 due to COVID irregularities and playing a full ACC schedule.
