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[QUOTE="kyleslamb, post: 16355, member: 895"]
First...

TV executives are not driving anything with the Big Ten. No ifs, ands or buts about it. The Big Ten is not listening to ESPN or any other media outlets tell them who to take in expansion. If that were the case, the Big Ten simply would have offered Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame and take your pick of a fourth team. But that's not the case. The BTN is certainly a huge factor in the Big Ten's plans, but Pitt does absolutely nothing for the Big Ten Network, as they already have the Pittsburgh market under lock & key.

Second, if TV executives are driving the bus, then I trust you know why TV executives would not want "duplicate states" in conference expansion, because I'll trust you understand the dynamics of television ratings and how in-conference games in a market score nearly 3-4 times higher than the same conference games outside of the conference boundaries. This is to say that by adding new markets, the conference ratings actually increase (think about it: fans of a team within a conference are more likely to watch games within the same conference as there is a direct competition against their rivals).

All you need to know about Notre Dame's intentions is to see what's going on with their hockey program. People need to read between the lines. They're not sitting on the sidelines fighting for their dying independence. They've accepted their future fate and it's just a matter of "when" rather than "if." This isn't a secret to schools that have been in a contact with Notre Dame. So if Pitt ever had any conditional offer (and they don't nor have they), they'd not be making this move.
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