Some very good points Sid. I think the ACC may well survive also and in fact even though I am SEC through and through I hope they do. I don't really want to see Miami and FSU in the SEC and I also think that Clemson is legit. When it comes to Basketball the ACC is really good also. Do you think Notre Dame could join the ACC?
Bill, ND is a full ACC member in all sports other than football. In football, ND plays 5 ACC schools each year but is not considered in the conference standings.
Hmmm... does anyone notice this thing moving toward an NFL model? This is me just slinging stuff on the wall to see if any of it stinks enough to stick... Two 16-20 team "conferences" that break away from the NCAA. We could call them... I don't know, the AFC and the NFC?? Won't it be great for our champions to have 3-4 losses? Ugh...
The obvious choice has to be the Big Ten. We have such a history with schools like Purdue, MSU, Mich. and even Northwestern not to mention USC that it seems like a no-brainer.
In the end for ND, just like everything in this world, it’s going to come down to money. Money will be the reason ND finally goes to a conference and we are looking as what has been said here already, college football looking like the NFL. Sadly.
It's all speculation by all of us at this point but for your perusal; Changing landscape may necessitate conference move for Notre Dame
Two conferences with 20 members each representing possibly the top 40 schools in the country??? Who needs the NCAA?
Exactly kp. I can see this train heading off the tracks to that destination. Everyone left outside of that would be equivalent of the G5 teams now.
Kyle, I know you used the word "possibly" as a qualifier, but, assuming the inclusion of the 4 newcomers, how many football programs currently in those two conferences do you believe consistently are among the top teams in the country? 6? 7? 8? More? My point is, no one knows the eventual outcome of the college football landscape. Speculating, especially during the normally slow summer months, actually is fun. I just have a different view than most others here. Hopefully, I'm helping to keep the conversation lively.
Sid, I certainly HOPE you are right. My doomsday vision sees 32 - 48 teams in a 2 conference set up and they are only loosely associated to the schools on their jerseys. It would be terrible and something I would have no interest in. It would make money, which is why it scrares me it might happen...
My crystal ball tells a story a lot like Scott's. And I too hope Sid is correct. Money ruins everything. Just look at golf.
Full disclosure: I tend to be an optimist, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. So far the only thing this football offseason that has fed my optimism is ND's recruiting.
Sid, relax. I am part of the lively conversation. Yes I think that there are probably about 11 of the top 25 from last year and 6 in the 10 ten. Cincinnati was one of those and probably didn't belong there. Notre Dame was also one of those in the top 10 not in the Big 10 or the SEC and I would want them in one of those conferences. So the majority of the contenders are in the 2 supposed "super" conferences and will be able to dictate what the future will look like. Look, I don't like this upcoming setup. I just think that it might be coming. I think the NCAA is irrelevant now.
Have mixed emotions about the NCAA. I dislike a lot about how they handle things, but do feel that there needs to be a final authority over all of college football. As much as I want the SEC to be strong I don't want teams like Cincinnatti excluded.
Bill, I hear what you are saying but teams like Cinncinatti and UCF and Boise State get a pass on strength of schedule. And the Big 10 and SEC are not admitting teams like Arizona State or Southern Miss. They are adding proven teams from the PAC 12 and Big 12. Our SoS will likely just get tougher, while Cinnci will continue to play one ranked team a year...maybe and hope they pull the big upset, then claim a National Championship (UCF). I just don't see the NCAA being a player in football much longer.
I can't disagree kp but I don't want to see those teams totally excluded. As to UCF and Cincinnati, them along with Houston are going to be in the Big 12 in 2023 so their schedules should be tough enough. I agree that UCF claiming a National Championship is bogus.