Don’t Expect an Announcement of a B12 Network Anytime Soon

[sutomcat]

If I was a fan of Iowa State or Texas Tech, or everyone else in the conference not named Texas or Oklahoma, I would be very scared.

With the rumors of the college football playoffs expanding and the B12 in trouble, I could actually see a scenario where ND joins the ACC for all sports and WVU becomes the 16th full time member.

If the B12 dissolves down the road, would Texas and Oklahoma also be interested in joining the ACC?

 

[Trueblue25]

If I was a fan of Iowa State or Texas Tech, or everyone else in the conference not named Texas or Oklahoma, I would be very scared.

With the rumors of the college football playoffs expanding and the B12 in trouble, I could actually see a scenario where ND joins the ACC for all sports and WVU becomes the 16th full time member.

If the B12 dissolves down the road, would Texas and Oklahoma also be interested in joining the ACC?

Forget WVU, though we would all love it. If there’s a 15 and 16 with the Big 12 imploding... it’s ND and Texas

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I thought this was a thread about Oklahoma being mad because they have to play Nebraska at 11 AM.

 

[upperdeck]

nothing says honoring the game of the century like making them play at 11am.. of course fox didnt exist back when it was played so why would they care.. not really seeing how playing that early helps ratings either?

 

[Cusefan69]

I don't see Texas in the ACC. To many politicians would get in the way. I could see PAC and the Big 12 combining perhaps. think ND and WV are likely fits for the ACC though Cincinnati or outlier pick Maryland could easily snap in as well.

 

[rrlbees]

4x16 necessitates one power 5 to dissolve. May as well be the B12.

 

[EnviroSciGuy]

I don't see Texas in the ACC. To many politicians would get in the way. I could see PAC and the Big 12 combining perhaps. think ND and WV are likely fits for the ACC though Cincinnati or outlier pick Maryland could easily snap in as well.

I think the wads of cash coming into Austin if UT and ND get onboard would grease a lot of wheels. Also the perception of "just beat Clemson" most years.

 

[TerryD]

If I was a fan of Iowa State or Texas Tech, or everyone else in the conference not named Texas or Oklahoma, I would be very scared.

With the rumors of the college football playoffs expanding and the B12 in trouble, I could actually see a scenario where ND joins the ACC for all sports and WVU becomes the 16th full time member.

If the B12 dissolves down the road, would Texas and Oklahoma also be interested in joining the ACC?

IF ND joins, it will be against the wishes of the great majority of its alumni and fanbase.

Here is a survey question answered by 1,500 Notre Dame fans who subscribe to The Athletic:


"Did Notre Dame playing in the ACC last season make you feel more positively about the idea of the football program joining a conference?

Yes: 29.2 percent

No: 70.8 percent

It’s hard to look at Notre Dame’s single season in the ACC and not think it was a success. The Irish did in one season what Michigan has never managed, appearing in a conference championship game. Notre Dame got a marquee home night game against Clemson that turned into an iconic moment.

It all ended with a blowout loss to Clemson in the rematch for the conference title in Charlotte, but the ACC treated the Irish well in terms of scheduling and COVID-19 accommodations, scrapping a rescheduled game at Wake Forest to give the Irish an idle week before the ACC championship game in the sake of fairness because Clemson also had one.

Maybe there is a way to move the needle on ACC full membership with fans if USC was a guaranteed nonconference opponent, with a chance to rotate marquee opponents like Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, etc.

But for now, even after last season’s run to the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame is unchanged on the prospect of conference membership. They’ll pass."


https://theathletic.com/2619075/2021/05/...directed=1

 

[NJCuse97]

IF ND joins, it will be against the wishes of the great majority of its alumni and fanbase.

Here is a survey question answered by 1,500 Notre Dame fans who subscribe to The Athletic:


"Did Notre Dame playing in the ACC last season make you feel more positively about the idea of the football program joining a conference?

Yes: 29.2 percent

No: 70.8 percent

It’s hard to look at Notre Dame’s single season in the ACC and not think it was a success. The Irish did in one season what Michigan has never managed, appearing in a conference championship game. Notre Dame got a marquee home night game against Clemson that turned into an iconic moment.

It all ended with a blowout loss to Clemson in the rematch for the conference title in Charlotte, but the ACC treated the Irish well in terms of scheduling and COVID-19 accommodations, scrapping a rescheduled game at Wake Forest to give the Irish an idle week before the ACC championship game in the sake of fairness because Clemson also had one.

Maybe there is a way to move the needle on ACC full membership with fans if USC was a guaranteed nonconference opponent, with a chance to rotate marquee opponents like Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, etc.

But for now, even after last season’s run to the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame is unchanged on the prospect of conference membership. They’ll pass."


https://theathletic.com/2619075/2021/05/...directed=1

Terry, I’d hardly call 1500 Athletic subscribers “the vast majority” of anything. Money will win out in the long run no matter what side of the coin. It’s still about the coin.

 

[TerryD]

Terry, I’d hardly call 1500 Athletic subscribers “the vast majority” of anything. Money will win out in the long run no matter what side of the coin. It’s still about the coin.

Its a survey, similar to a poll. Its a gauge on the opinions of the fan base.

It is also some objective evidence that backs up the subjective reports that the 2020 season made ND fans more in favor of independence, not less, that the one year of football conference membership hardened attitudes even more against permanent membership.

Also, if it were only about the coin, then ND would more likely join the Big Ten than the ACC if it had to join a conference, no?

 

[NJCuse97]

Also, if it were only about the coin, then ND would more likely join the Big Ten than the ACC if it had to join a conference, no?

I suppose that’s still an option. I think as I’m sure you do too, that’s more a matter of bad blood. I only meant joining vs not joining is about money. I was not suggesting you get in bed with someone you hate because it represents an even higher payday. Playoff access is money. Conference championship game is money. TV deal is money, and it’s that IMO that currently allows ND to stay independent, but there’s no guarantee it stays that way.

 

[SWC75]

I'll take ND and WVa. Give the Pac 12 Oklahoma and Texas to balance things out.

 

[TerryD]

I suppose that’s still an option. I think as I’m sure you do too, that’s more a matter of bad blood. I only meant joining vs not joining is about money. I was not suggesting you get in bed with someone you hate because it represents an even higher payday. Playoff access is money. Conference championship game is money. TV deal is money, and it’s that IMO that currently allows ND to stay independent, but there’s no guarantee it stays that way.

ND is very dependent on alumni donations (see $12 billion academic endowment) for both academics and athletics.

It is less dependent on TV and conference payouts than most schools.

It leaves about $30 million a year of TV/conference money on the table every year by not being in the Big Ten.

ND is okay with that. It makes less TV/conference money than any P5 member.

Even with that, ND athletics is #6 in the country in revenues.

That is why talk of increased TV deals if it joins never moves the needle with ND.

Its NBC contract comes up in 2025. Lets see how they do with the new deal.

Finally, many big donors have threatened often to withhold donations if ND football stops being an independent.

Jack Swarbrick believes them. That is a big issue at ND when discussing the Irish joining a conference.

 

[Chris02M]

nothing is going to happen before 2025, at that point lets see where nbc is in sports besides nfl

 

[Alsacs]

Texas likes the status quo of the Big XII they aren’t going to leave.
Oklahoma can’t get into the Pac-12 without Texas.
The Big Ten doesn’t want them yet.
The SEC is their only bet if they fully nuclear and they won’t because Oklahoma isn’t Oklahoma in the SEC.

The Big XII is fine.
Notre Dame won’t give up independence till Baby Boomer ND alumni sadly pass away.
The younger alums are more progressive but they don’t care enough now.
College sports realignment is dead for now at the major conference level.

 

[TerryD]

Texas likes the status quo of the Big XII they aren’t going to leave.
Oklahoma can’t get into the Pac-12 without Texas.
The Big Ten doesn’t want them yet.
The SEC is their only bet if they fully nuclear and they won’t because Oklahoma isn’t Oklahoma in the SEC.

The Big XII is fine.
Notre Dame won’t give up independence till Baby Boomer ND alumni sadly pass away.
The younger alums are more progressive but they don’t care enough now.
College sports realignment is dead for now at the major conference level.

People keep citing the "younger ND fans" like it is dogma without any objective evidence that this is the case at all.

It is a sports message board myth.

Other than that, I agree with you.

 

[Alsacs]

People keep citing the "younger ND fans" like it is dogma without any objective evidence that this is the case at all.

It is a sports message board myth.

Other than that, I agree with you.

I have ND family and I speak with them.

Younger alums aren’t the same as the older alums thought process wise.

 

[Scooch]

I don’t understand this thread. A post game quote from a QB two years ago is why the B12 is going to dissolve? Did I miss something?!

 

[baggerbob]

People keep citing the "younger ND fans" like it is dogma without any objective evidence that this is the case at all.

It is a sports message board myth.

Other than that, I agree with you.

Love that you still come on the board, my best scenario always has been, a conference of 4 by 5 adding Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, West Virginia, and either Texas Tech or Baylor. Texas and Notre Dame would be a yearly crossover game.

 

[Cusefan69]

I don’t understand this thread. A post game quote from a QB two years ago is why the B12 is going to dissolve? Did I miss something?!

Conversation just looks like it branched out for whatever reasons. You didn't miss anything...

 

[kirbivore]

I don’t understand this thread. A post game quote from a QB two years ago is why the B12 is going to dissolve? Did I miss something?!

That's conjecture at a Dude from WV, Clay Travis, and Frank the Tank level.

 

[Orijinal]

Its a survey, similar to a poll. Its a gauge on the opinions of the fan base.

It is also some objective evidence that backs up the subjective reports that the 2020 season made ND fans more in favor of independence, not less, that the one year of football conference membership hardened attitudes even more against permanent membership.

Also, if it were only about the coin, then ND would more likely join the Big Ten than the ACC if it had to join a conference, no?

ND has affiliated with the ACC in just about every way except full football membership ...and then when it came time to join a conference for a year, they joined the ACC. The ACC made a lot of sense for them in the moves that they made

Now we are saying that if they join any conference they would join the Big Ten?? Where does that come from? ND had an agreement in place that if they joined any football conference full time it would be the ACC

 

[Alsacs]

ND has affiliated with the ACC in just about every way except full football membership ...and then when it came time to join a conference for a year, they joined the ACC. The ACC made a lot of sense for them in the moves that they made

Now we are saying that if they join any conference they would join the Big Ten?? Where does that come from? ND had an agreement in place that if they joined any football conference full time it would be the ACC

He is saying if ND had join a conference full time the Big Ten would make more sense if money was the bottom line and what motivated the university of Notre Dame to join a conference.
As the Big Ten would pay them more annually than the ACC could.

That is the point.
I don’t think the Irish will ever join the Big Ten for anything more than hockey. They would be isolated in the Midwest.
The ACC goes from Massachusetts down to Florida and has more ND students than the Midwest.

Notre Dame won’t join a conference full time but the ACC does make sense for them if they ever choose too.

 

[EnviroSciGuy]

I'll take ND and WVa. Give the Pac 12 Oklahoma and Texas to balance things out.

I'd love WVU in the ACC for personal reasons, but it's tough to imagine the old guard of the ACC going for it.

 

[TerryD]

He is saying if ND had join a conference full time the Big Ten would make more sense if money was the bottom line and what motivated the university of Notre Dame to join a conference.
As the Big Ten would pay them more annually than the ACC could.

That is the point.
I don’t think the Irish will ever join the Big Ten for anything more than hockey. They would be isolated in the Midwest.
The ACC goes from Massachusetts down to Florida and has more ND students than the Midwest.

Notre Dame won’t join a conference full time but the ACC does make sense for them if they ever choose too.

Correct. I was responding to a post that said coin talks.

My response is that if that were the case, ND would join the Big Ten instead of the ACC if it were "greedy" and only cared about "coin".

ND would make much more as a Big Ten member than an ACC member.

ND leaves at least $30 million a year (probably more...what would be the Big Ten payout if ND joined in full?) in TV and conference payouts on the table by being independent and not joining a conference like the Big Ten.

(ND is not going to join the Big Ten. It doesn't want to be "regionalized" in any single conference, let alone one mostly based in the Upper Midwest. Plus, the enmity against the Big Ten is still strong).

ND is not as dependent on TV money as most other schools are. They have a lower payout than any P5 school.

ND is okay with that. Even with such a low TV/conference payout, they are #6 in revenues.

(The NBC deal is up for renewal in 2025. My bet is ND will make up a lot of that ground then)

It is more dependent on alumni/fan donations than TV money. That is why talks of it making more TV money if it joined a football conference mostly falls upon deaf ears.

Jack Swarbrick has been told by big donors that the tap will dry up if ND football abandons football independence. He believes them.