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BIG’s next move for ND with media contract?

Little bit of a generalization there, don't you think?
I once read that the game of college football is a cornucopia of singular traditions. More than any other sport, the game is full of quirky things from the past, be it game trophies such as the Old Oaken Bucket or stealing the rival team's mascot.
A lot of us don't like the fact that some of these traditions seem to be dying out. Having USC and UCLA in the Big 10 makes no sense. Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC? WTF?
You act like holding on to old traditions is a bad thing. It is not. Traditions are what made the game what it is. ND remaining independent is a tradition that I, for one, would like to keep. Joining the Big 10 would not, in my mind, be an improvement for ND. We would be as out of place in the Big 10 as USC and UCLA will be.
I like traditions too, in fact I love them. You need to be able to judge which ones are roots and which ones are anchors. The world does not stand still and you need a balance of tradition and progress.
 
A load of crap.
It’s just my opinion as someone who is a bit more than a casual fan. I’d like to think you could come up with a better rebuttal but if that’s all you got that’s ok too. You are in the “hang on to independence at all costs” camp. Yale and Army were once national powerhouses in football and they stuck to their position and are probably happy with that … Harvard-Yale and Army-Navy continue to be wonderful traditions.
 
I like traditions too, in fact I love them. You need to be able to judge which ones are roots and which ones are anchors. The world does not stand still and you need a balance of tradition and progress.

Independence is an anchor? I very much disagree. I see little to be gained, and a good deal to be lost, should ND join the Big 10.
 
Independence is an anchor? I very much disagree. I see little to be gained, and a good deal to be lost, should ND join the Big 10.
Say more … what’s lost being in a 25 team national super conference? I think there is plenty to gain and yes potentially something to lose. In the end this is better discussed in a tailgating lot than here.
 
Say more … what’s lost being in a 25 team national super conference? I think there is plenty to gain and yes potentially something to lose. In the end this is better discussed in a tailgating lot than here.

I personally think that a lot is lost in a 25 team conference. That is more the NFL than CFB. And that may be where CFB is headed. One of the great things about the game was the regionalism, i.e., the different styles of play in the different regions of the country. That seems to be evaporating.
Attendance is down across college football. Is that a matter of economics or a matter of interest in the game? We will see.
 
It’s just my opinion as someone who is a bit more than a casual fan. I’d like to think you could come up with a better rebuttal but if that’s all you got that’s ok too. You are in the “hang on to independence at all costs” camp. Yale and Army were once national powerhouses in football and they stuck to their position and are probably happy with that … Harvard-Yale and Army-Navy continue to be wonderful traditions.
I mean that is a shallow response as well. Harvard-Yale as a comparison?

ND stresses and LIVES the undergrad experience. It houses less than 9k undergrads, a fact that is lost when one realizes the brand that ND is. It doesn’t want to become a R+D school. So give us another selling point.

It’s tradition, as you call it, is closely intertwined with its commitment to grow undergrads. It doesn’t need to get bigger or aspire to be state school (some of which are fraudulent in their commitment to academics)
 
Oh give it a rest, every fanbase has their awful fans. I can't believe you're letting a game and event almost 30 years ago scare you like that.

The two biggest reasons ND might want to join the conference is TV revenue (they won't be getting anywhere close to 75mil) and there's a good chance that the new expanded playoffs that come after 2026 will come with some rules that might not be so favorable to ND and teams not in conferences.
We were better off with less money and no media company will pay for a playoff ND cannot join. NEXT

This is where I disagree. I don't think we play Michigan or MSU often enough, now that we have our ACC arrangement. I consider them two of our oldest and biggest rivals.
Well, I would not mind seeing Sparty more often but it takes two to tango. The BUG going to 9 conf games really squeezes their available slots.
 
We were better off with less money and no media company will pay for a playoff ND cannot join. NEXT


Well, I would not mind seeing Sparty more often but it takes two to tango. The BUG going to 9 conf games really squeezes their available slots.

Now that we are in the NIL era, I could see the SEC and the Big Ten adding one more regular season game. With only three OOC games, ND could use one for Navy, one for some cupcake like Rice, and one for some top team like LSU or Texas or Clemson.

I think that ND and the all conferences will always be technically *eligible* for a playoff. But I think selections will tend to favor the SEC and the Big Ten.
 
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While the argument about money is important, ND is not just another team but one that has an extensive following that translates into a strong television audience worth the payout demanded. What worries me a bit is the drive to include a number of teams in the CFP from each of the SEC and BIG. Once two loss teams from those mega-conferences get in, ND will have a hard time getting in as an independent.
 
Some are claiming the NBC deal is imminent and will be around $60 million/season. Not too bad...
 
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