ND (and Independence if you read into it) is under fire

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8264769/notre-dame-irish-relegated-insignificance" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Summary: Notre Dame has been mediocre for 20 years--why are they still getting special treatment in the BCS, bowls, and media deals?



They are saying ND gets bowl advantage by not having to play in a conference, doesn't have to play in a conference championship, get to pick its own schedule, gets to have its own NBC deal, gets a seat at the BCS/championship table, gets a $1.3 mill bonus from the BCS if they DON'T make a bowl game. The big push is to eliminate all of these perks from independent teams. Reilly is calling for NCAA football to force a school to be part of a conference to have access to the championship and major bowls. Is this the start of an attack on Independent access to the BCS/championship strucure?

Yes, it is, especially since more teams are moving that direction.



I do agree, though, ND seems to get special BCS treatment, which should be eliminated so all the independents are on an even level. I don't agree that every team should be required to be in a conference. That's dumb, especially for a school like BYU where it's fans span the globe. I don't see why a school, if it can get its own contracts can't stand on its own two feet if it wants to.



That said, we need to beat ND and establish ourselves as the new standard of independence.

We have an independence conference and got two new teams in realignment. We even have a couple of conference games.

Oh hello, like ND is going to be forced to do something they don't especially want to do. They didn't get to be ND just because people thought they were a very special Catholic institution. Is it fair, no, but ask my kids about fair. The only fair is the county fair and it's over for the year.

Notre Dame's brand dwarfs most other college football brands. It's all about business. Reilly doesn't think it's fair. Compare Notre Dame's TV ratings and game attendance (in-season, post-season, home and road) with BSU, TCU, Oregon and most of the rest of college football. THIS is why Notre Dame commands a unique television deal, special bowl arrangements, and a seat at the table.



The current CONTRACTS speak for themselves. Would the Orange Bowl or NBC really consider anyone other than Notre Dame with whom to have a special non-conference relationship? May be: USC, Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, Texas? The list would be pretty short.



I'm sorry, but Notre will need to have another 20 years of "mediocre" football before the Irish are demoted a peg or two in the college football ranks.



Also, where would Notre Dame be this century, from a purely football perspective, if they had played a WAC or Mountain West schedule? Even a PAC 12 schedule? Probably right in line with the 130 wins that Boise State boasts. I don't see Boise or TCU consistently playing Michigan, USC, Stanford, Michigan State, Pitt, Navy, ACC schools, etc. EVERY YEAR. You also don't see Notre Dame playing many WAC/MWC 2.0 teams.

The only thing I noticed in that article is that he predicts a ND win over BYU.



Booooo!

EM_Puma wrote:
Oh hello, like ND is going to be forced to do something they don't especially want to do. They didn't get to be ND just because people thought they were a very special Catholic institution. Is it fair, no, but ask my kids about fair. The only fair is the county fair and it's over for the year.

ours ends this weekend....