Report: Dodds admits courting Notre Dame

[Vito Corleone]

So Texas is still calling all the shots. I see nothings changed

Glad were gone

So are we.

When Daddy owns the house, daddy makes the rules.

Your new house has a daddy, and it still isn't you. Welcome to the wonderful world of Alabama and Florida calling all the shots. Now take your seat behind behind Ole Miss, just in front of Miss State

[Vito Corleone]

Man, if the Big 14 turns out to have FSU, Clemson, Notre Dame and BYU they'll be sitting pretty.

I'm surprised Aggie is such a socialist at heart.

aggsy have proven that they are opportunist, they don't care about socialism or Conservative ideals they care about getting as much money as they can with as little work as possible. As long as aggsy fans can scream SEC SEC SEC it doesn't matter what kind of product they put on the field. Every SEC win is an aggsy win.

They have manipulated everyone and everything in two conferences to make themselves look like they were innocent while at the same time deflecting as much as they can toward evil daddy in Austin.

Too bad Big 12 voting was always open and we can all see how aggsy truly voted all those years on the same issues they claim they wanted to get away from.

[djohn2oo8]

So are we.

When Daddy owns the house, daddy makes the rules.

Your new house has a daddy, and it still isn't you. Welcome to the wonderful world of Alabama and Florida calling all the shots. Now take your seat behind behind Ole Miss, just in front of Miss State

[Clipper Nation]

Dodds should do the right thing and get Boise and BYU tbh... the Big 12 would be a SICK conference then.

[MajorMike]

From what I understand, the B12 would insist BYU play certain games (B12 BB tourney, for example) on Sundays and BYU refuses to do so, as they always have. B12 will not make any exceptions, because when you have a multi-million dollar basketball tounrey with a natinally televised Monday primetime Championship, you cannot NOT hold the semi-finals on Sunday just because one team won't play.

Every team sport is going to be like this; baseball games, baseball tourneys, basketball tourneys, softball, track and field, swimming and diving... all those will have scheduled games/tourneys that run over the weekend and usually finals on Synday. An entire enterprise cannot wait for one team, no offense to any Cougs, with the limited stature of a BYU. The smaller leagues had usually a large number of private universities in them, so they would accomodate this. NCAA Basketball tourney accomodates this by giving BYU the bracket with Thurs/Sat games and even giving them a lower seed to make it possible.

Not possible in B12, therefore not gonna happen.

[coyotes_geek]

One of ND's main hang-ups is not the independent life, per se, as it is losing revenue from the major historic rivalries.

Which is why when the time comes to join a conference, they'll join the one that most of their historic rivals are already in, the B1G.

[coyotes_geek]

I'm interested to see what the Pac does, it's not like there are a ton of great universities out west that they can pick and choose from like out east. BYU would be a natural choice but fe-kal and Stanturd blocked them last go around.

The Pac isn't going to do anything unless it involves adding Texas and it's tag-alongs.

[Blake]

Which is why when the time comes to join a conference, they'll join the one that most of their historic rivals are already in, the B1G.

I'll hand it to UT for trying to start a rivalry with Notre Dame.

[coyotes_geek]

I will too. It would be a great move for them if they could pull it off.

[Blake]

The deal for them to play each other 4 years straight starting in 2015 is a nice start.

[coyotes_geek]

It is if those games actually end up getting played. If ND does end up joining the B1G they're probably not going to be too excited about having both USC and Texas on their non-conf schedule every year.

[Blake]

They might ditch USC and rotate the academy schools

[coyotes_geek]

Extremely unlikely.

[Blake]

Yeah, they probably wouldn't rotate the military schools. They would just stick with their game with Navy.

[Vito Corleone]

If ND joins the Big 12 outside football, they will play about 4 or 5 games a year in the Big 12 leaving the remaining 7 for all their traditional rivals. However, if they join, I'm pretty sure FSU is in also. If that is the case expect them and FSU to begin a new rivalry along with Texas. I would think we would need about 2 other schools that could be considered rivals to really make it enticing for them to join the conference.

Who they are, I have no idea, I know one thing you will never see the end of the ND/USC game, that pure tradition and I hope never ends.

ND/MSU and ND/meat chicken are also huge rivalry games and could stay on their non-conference schedule along with Navy. I'd be all for us adding BC if it would get the Irish in but that would be a hard sell. I don't think one conference could handle that many Irish

The Irish have a nice little rivalry with Georgia Tech also, could add them as well.

If the Big 12 can add the irish, it won't make them the premier conference, but it will make them the most valuable as far as TV is concerned.

I could even see traditional rivals like Arkansas wanting in on a conference like that.

[coyotes_geek]

Is this before or after USC leaves the Pac for another conference?

[NFO]

I'll believe ND is in a conference when I see it. To many powerful alums value football independence like football relevance is some sort of precious metal. Unless ND gets an extremely progressive AD or their playoff access is limited ND will enjoy the status quo and tout football independence as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

In the playoff era ND will have a distinct advantage because they control 100% of their schedule, where as teams in conferences have only non-conference games they can control, while the rest are pre-determined. It will be interesting when the playoff scenario is finalized how ND is treated and if it forces them to join a conference for better access to the playoffs.

[Blake]

Why Notre Dame continues to get special BCS treatment is beyond me.

Seems to me they could easily force them to join a conference or squeeze them out of the playoff system.

[yavozerb]

I'll believe ND is in a conference when I see it. To many powerful alums value football independence like football relevance is some sort of precious metal. Unless ND gets an extremely progressive AD or their playoff access is limited ND will enjoy the status quo and tout football independence as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

In the playoff era ND will have a distinct advantage because they control 100% of their schedule, where as teams in conferences have only non-conference games they can control, while the rest are pre-determined. It will be interesting when the playoff scenario is finalized how ND is treated and if it forces them to join a conference for better access to the playoffs.

Lets not forget that conference champions will still be rewarded in some way in determining the final 4. I am pretty sure that was the bone thrown big10/pac10's way in order to progress the playoff scenario. Another factor in ND possible going to the big 12 is financial. Not sure what kind of tv contract they will recieve these days after many years of sub-par play and a generation who does not follow the ND like those before since they have never been a player for the championship. Still a longshot from happening in my opinion though...

[Blake]

In the playoff era ND will have a distinct advantage because they control 100% of their schedule, where as teams in conferences have only non-conference games they can control, while the rest are pre-determined.

I think they will still have to come up with a comparable strength of schedule to get playoff consideration.

[yavozerb]

I think they will still have to come up with a comparable strength of schedule to get playoff consideration.

ND will always have to have one of the most difficult (if not the most difficult) schedule around every season to make up for not having a conference championship to show for. Just cannot see them ever contending as an independent team for a NC. The days of not contending for championships and getting paid regardless are almost at its end for ND.

[NFO]

I think they will still have to come up with a comparable strength of schedule to get playoff consideration.

I would think that would be the case too since ND has full control of their schedule. I think a conference champ out of a power conference will have to have some sort of advantage over a ND team that has the same record.

Who knows though. As Delany said yesterday, "The devil is in the detail". Guess we will find out what that means sometime down the road.

[MajorMike]

Was told again today that ND will be associate member in all sports except football beginning in 2013. They will join in Football beginning in 2015. I understand that NBC contract runs thru that time period, but am also told ND has an out in the contract. Clemson and FSU to jump soon and another team will join with ND in 2015. Have heard no rumblings as to who that is, but both WVa and ND are insisting it needs to be someone from that neck of the woods, such as a BC or Pitt or Rutgers (top targets based upon tv markets).

Also has supposedly been some odd conversation that all 3 service academys have contacted B12 about coming together, which would not only please ND (they play each of them every year) but keep all the academys together, give them sports legitimacy, extra tv money in times when the military budget is being slashed (service academys get their money from the defense budget) and could possibly create the first 16 team super conference by 2015/2016. Heard this first a few weeks ago and sort of wrote it off (based upon the person telling me) but heard it this morning from someone completely different and unassociated with the first person.

[Blake]

I don't see the financial advantage for Florida State to move, even in 3 years.

I also wonder why there is little to no talk about Miami moving as well. Are they happy being in the ACC?

[MajorMike]

Miami isn't NEAR as high a nationwide following as you would think, based upon recent numbers. They have internal issues and are quite probably pending NCAA probation. Additonally, they have a very poor reputation for character. B12 does not need anymore character issues; after all, they just got RID of one of the two cheatingest college football programs of all time, why would they want another?