[BigdaddyQH]

It is becoming more and more possible as the days go on. Notre Dame A.D. Jack Swarbrick said, at the Big East hoops tourney that the Iish are going to have to take a new look at joining a conference. This is due to money issues. The Irish are looking to sign a deal with NBC for 10 million dollars, but in state rivals and Big 10 teams Indiana and Purdue stand to make between 22 and 25 million per team with their contracts between the Big 10 network and ABC/ESPN. That is a huge difference.

Notre Dame to the Big 10 would be a perfect fit. They already play Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue on a yearly basis. They are squarely in the heartland of Big 10 Country. Joining the Big 10 would give the Irish accesss to better bowl games, and even a BCS game. They would also enjoy the financial reward of a Conference championship game.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but Notre Dame, which thinks about money first, and everything else second, may not be able to pass this opportunity up. They would most likely play 8 conference games, giving them 4 open dates, so they could keep their annual Rivalry with USC, and Navy alive, and still schedule two other games, such as Army at Yankee Stadium, and Maryland, in Baltimore. Don't blow this chance Irish. The BCS is starting to shut you out.

[Cookie Monster]

For many years this move has been a no brainer. But Notre Dame directors have refused many times to bulge in. Now, as they see the TV contract as independent is not as lucrative (and the BCS bowl berth as independent is out of reach for a few years), there is a real possibility of joining big 10. If so, big east can breathe for a while, its BCS spot is alive.

[BigdaddyQH]

For many years this move has been a no brainer. But Notre Dame directors have refused many times to bulge in. Now, as they see the TV contract as independent is not as lucrative (and the BCS bowl berth as independent is out of reach for a few years), there is a real possibility of joining big 10. If so, big east can breathe for a while, its BCS spot is alive.

If Notre Dame goes to the Big 10 and the Pac 10 expands to 12 teams, the Big East will lose it's BCS status as it shoud. That is just about assured. You will have the 5 BCS Bowls and 5 automatic bids. Perfect.

[Cookie Monster]

I do not get your logic about 5 bowls and 5 conference champs. Yes, there are 5 bowls, but the big one matches two champs almost always. And the Rose bowl matches often another 2 champs. So, we are left with 3 bowls and 2 champs and 4 at large. If Big East is scratched, there are only 1 champ and 5 at large. I do not find what makes the second option perfect.

[BigdaddyQH]

That is exactly what the BCS wants. With so many at large teams, the teams that finish 2nd in their conference and have very good records will also go to BCS games. They can take the 2nd place team from each of the BCS Conferemces if they choose to. It would also give them more room to manipulate teams like Boise State and TCU into a Bowl game. BAsically nothing changes in the Bowls. The Rose still would get the Big 10 vs Pac 10 Champs. The Fiesta still would get the Big 12 Champ. The Sugar still would get the SEC Champ. The Orange still would get the ACC Champ. The only difference is that theBCS would NOT be forced to take the Champ of an 8 team conference. So the Big East's had would be forced. Add 4 moreteams,or lose your BCS status. If I were the Big East, I would be planning to dump4 of my non-football hoops teams right now, and add Central Florida, East Carolina, Temple, and Buffalo. Then they could have two divisions. The North world have Syracuse, Temple, Rutgers, Pitt, UConn and Buffalo. The South would have West Virginia, East Caolina, Central Florida, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Louisville.

[BigdaddyQH]

Here is my own wish list for BCS expansion. Absolutely nothing but conjecture here. First, the Big 10 takes Notre Dame. We now have the Big 10 becoming the Midwest 12. Next, the Pac 10 takes Utah and Colorado, becoming the 12 pack, in honor of summer days at the beaches of Southern California. Next, the Big 12 takes Houston to absorb the loss of Colorado. I know TCU is the favorite for football, but if you look at the entire athletic program, and the fact that Houston can move their home games to the large raliant stadium, they may be a better take than TCU, who plays in a stadium smaller than reliant stadium, and rarely sells out.

Next, we expand the MWC, adding Boise State, Nevada, Hawaii and Fresno State. That gives the MWC 12 teams, 6 of which are legitimate contenders for a BCS game during most years (TCU, BYU, Air Force, Boise State, Nevada, and Fresno State).

The final piece of the puzzle is to expand the number of BCS Bowl games to 6, by adding the Cotton Bowl, now played in Jerry World, the most modern stadium in the world. Then you tie in the Big 12 Champ to the Cotton Bowl, and the MWC Champ to the Fiesta Bowl.

[Cookie Monster]

Most of your hypotetic plan sounds good. Some thoughts:

If Big 12 has to expand, it is a close call between TCU, BYU and Houston. TCU has currently a strong program and the DFW area could be an asset. But the alumni base is quite small and the footall bubble will burst someday. BYU has a great brand, good teams, geographically makes sense. But scheduling is a nightmare. And Houston has a large alumni base, fine teams, but Rice is in the same city.

In your scenario we are left with a few 2nd tier teams orphan in mountain zone. What could they do? Join CUSA?

[iwantcougars]

i like your scenario, i do wish tcu will join the big12, but houston makes more sense

[Wrigley]

ND is the team the big ten real wants for the 12th

[BigdaddyQH]

Most of your hypotetic plan sounds good. Some thoughts:

If Big 12 has to expand, it is a close call between TCU, BYU and Houston. TCU has currently a strong program and the DFW area could be an asset. But the alumni base is quite small and the footall bubble will burst someday. BYU has a great brand, good teams, geographically makes sense. But scheduling is a nightmare. And Houston has a large alumni base, fine teams, but Rice is in the same city.

In your scenario we are left with a few 2nd tier teams orphan in mountain zone. What could they do? Join CUSA?

La. Tech would go to the Sunbelt to join La. Monroe and La. Lafayette. New Mexico State replaces Houston in the CUSA. That leaves San Jose State, Idaho, and Utah State. If the Big East expamded, Utah State and Idaho could go to the MAC, to replace Temple and possibly Buffalo. CUSA may also swallow up San Jose State. Again all conjecture on my part, but who knows what may happen.

One thing is for sure. I do not see the BCS leaving the Cotton Bowl out of it's BCS plans for very long. Not with that new stadium, and the perfect setting for the Big 12's automatic bid. I see one of two things happening. Either the BCS keeps it curent 5 bowl arrangement, with the NC game substituting for one of the normal matchups in one of the bowls, or they expand to six bowl games, with one site getting their normal bowl game plus the NC game. I prefer the six BCS game set up.

[Cookie Monster]

I also think Cotton Bowl will become a BCS bowl in the future. However, I do not know how do the TV contracts could be worked out. Cotton has just signed a contract with FOX until 2014, while BCS went to ESPN.

When I was growing up, the Cotton was my favorite bowl on new year. But then SWC tanked losing about 7 consecutive times, usually by blowout. So, before being replaced SWC disbanded. From then, it has been slowly regaining stature, and the move to Cowboys stadium is a big boost.

About 6 + 1 format or 6, I prefer 6 + 1. As usual, Rose Bowl would not be too happy with a complete rotation, losing its traditional matchup B10 vs P10.

[BigdaddyQH]

REmember, the Rose Bowl was under contract with ABC before the ABC/ESPN merger, so I do not think that this would preclude the Cotton Bowl from becoming the BCS's 6th Bowl. By time the Cotton Bowl would host the N.C. game, all T.V. Contracts would be up for renewal. It would be at least 5 years before the Cotton Bowl could host the NC game.

[wookieehumper]

Notre dame is the only school I would want to join the big 10 that's been under consideration.. Everyone else either lacks tradition, is poor academically, or does not make geographical sense.

[BigdaddyQH]

AGain, that depends on just how many teams the Big 10 wants. I've heard everything from 1 to 5 teams. The Big 16? Possible. That would force Notre Dame's hand because it would destroy the Big East. If the Big 10 takes Pitt, Rutgers, and Syracuse from the Big East, then the ACC would grab South Florida and West Virginia.

[dcb11]

My Hypothetical alignment of the Big 10 16

BIG 10

East
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
West Virgina
Wisconsin

West
Illinois
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Purdue

[Cookie Monster]

16 teams are too many. Big 10 needs badly a championship game (so late november is not anticlimatic), but 12 teams are enough to get it. As you add more teams there is little benefit, and the money has to be shared between more and more teams.

[dbldown]

Notre Dame does make sense in the Big 10. I find it hard to follow your logic that all the other teams will bail out of the Big East just because the Big 10 needs some teams.

[Cookie Monster]

The big east teams may agree to move to big 10, as the money of the TV contract is far better. But big 10 surely is not willing to share its money so easily. They need a championship game, and one team will do the trick. Getting 3 or 5 teams make no sense.

[icsky3]

Bring em' on, Oh. St. will crush them

[BigdaddyQH]

Notre Dame does make sense in the Big 10. I find it hard to follow your logic that all the other teams will bail out of the Big East just because the Big 10 needs some teams.

I agree that it would be foolish for the Big 10 to expand by more than 1 team. I was just reporting what is out there in Rumor Control. Having said that, teams would bail out of the Big East if they thought that the Big East was going to lose it's BCS Status, something that can certainly happen, if the other 5 BCS Conferences have 12 teams and a Championship game and the Big East does not.

As a matter of fact, I will go so far as to predict that the Big East gets shut out of the BCS if the Big 10 and Pac 10 expand to at least 12 teams and the Big East does not follow suit.

[iwantcougars]

if the big east lost their bcs spot, so west virginia will go the ACC?, where will pitt go?

[BigdaddyQH]

if the big east lost their bcs spot, so west virginia will go the ACC?, where will pitt go?

I do not know if any Big East team goes anyplace if the Big East loses it's BCS spot. They would just have to live with it. Right now, the Big East should be looking for teams with FBS Football Programs to join it's conference, and teams to jettison out of it's hoops conference, which is way too big. They already have 16 teams in hoops, and 8 of those teams (Notre Dame, DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, St. Johns, Marquette, Villanova, and Seton Hall) do not have FBS football teams in the Big East football conference.

If Notre Dame is the team that goes to the Big 10, and everything else is "status quo", the Big East may have to add 4 teams to it's Conference to keep it's BCS status. UCF certainly would be one. Other candidates may include Buffalo, Temple, Marshall, East Carolina, and Memphis. If the Big 10 takes any other team from the Big East, then they MUST relpace that team, and would still have to add more teams, most likely.

[infamousbacardi]

BigDaddy....you are only half correct in what your original premise was my man....while it would then help them in their access to the Rose Bowl perhaps, as of 2005, Notre Dame automatically receives a BCS bowl game bid if they finish in the top 8 of the polls anyway. In this regard, they have nothing to gain by joining the Big 10, except the money from the Big 10 Network that is now in place. That, is a lot, actually. Perhaps it may be enough to make them join....I guess we'll have to see!! As a Badger fan, I love the thought of Notre Dame in the Big 10...it's the last piece the Big 10 really needs to add to make it a real national power in all sports.

[Cookie Monster]

With the current status of Notre Dame football program, it is highly unlikely that they get a top 8 place in the next few years. So, the TV money is a sure thing, the automatic BCS berth is far away. Still, if the team turns good, a Big10 championship would not be much harder than a top 8 place. Joining the big10 is the smart choice for Notre Dame, let's see if the board of directors finally does it.

[BigdaddyQH]

It is not just the BCS Bowl that the Irish must consider, but the non-BCS Bowls. The Big 10 has much more attractive bowl tie-ins than the Big East. The Big 10 has tie ins with the Gator, Capital One, and Outback Bowls, while the best the Big East can offer is the Champs Sports Bowl and the Yankee Bowl.

[TUDINH]

bye dame omg that my team

[will_kill]

pitt in the acc

[iwantcougars]

pitt in the acc

i dont think it's going to happen, i'm sure this conference mess will led to a geographical bracket as the hoops, hello sweet 16, and the other teams will set to bowl games

[BigdaddyQH]

I do not think that Pitt will go to the ACC either, though they did take Boston College, which is nowheres near the South. The best case senario for the Big East is if the Big 10 takes one team, and that team is Notre Dame. This way, if the Pac 10 also expands to 12 teams, the Big East just needs to add 4 teams to survive. If the Big 10 takes a Big East member, then the Big East must add one team immediately, and more than likely 4 others shortly thereafter. If, for some strange reason, the Big 10 decides to add more than one team, and raids the Big East, school is out for them. The Big 10 could take two teams. Let's assume they take Pitt and Rutgers. Then you would see South Florida and West Virginia jump to the ACC. I suggested in another thread that the Big East save itself by giving Notre Dame an ultimatum. Join our conference for football, or get out all together. This would give the Big East some expansion room in their over blown hoops conference.