Notre Dame and the Big East conference.

[charleschipmunk]

The Big East conference gets a lot of flack in football.They were given an automatic BCS bid due to having Miami, VA Tech,and Boston College as members. Those three teams are gone and has weakened the conference to the point where many people are saying they should lose their automatic bid to the BCS. Notre Dame is amember of the Big East in all sports other then football. I know that they want to keep their tradition of playing long time rivals, but were they to join the Big East Conference it would give the Big East back some of its lost luster. It would also quiet the critics who complain about ND recieving an automatic BCS bid if they finish 12th or higher. Even playing a conference schedule they would still be able to maintain most of their rivalries. I sure wish it would happen.

[Snake]

Speaking as both a Notre Dame fan, and a Big East fan; I personally would not like to see this happen. Notre Dame have pretty much a set schedule year in and year out, with about half the games considered rivalry type games, no other College has that many rivalry games. If they went to the Big East, they would lose out on a few of those games. The Big East was formed for one reason only: To make a powerful basketball conference. That's it, all other sports were secondary. Basketball was it's main source of revenue. True, when Miami got added to the conference, and Virginia Tech started to play superior football, the conference gained some respect on the football side. There were also some years that Syracuse and BC put some outstanding teams out on the field. With Miami, VaTech, and BC bolting, it did weaken the conference, but Louisville is a pretty good up and coming football team in it's own right. I think Pitt and West Virginia get overlooked alot as well. Well they may not be the SEC, Big 10, or Big 12; several of the schools in the Big East can play with those other conferences.

[redlegsfan21]

If Notre Dame goes anywhere, it will be the Big 10. ND has 3 rivals already in the Big 10 (Michigan, Michigan St., and Purdue). And 2 of their non-conf. games would be BC and USC.

[charleschipmunk]

If Notre Dame goes anywhere, it will be the Big 10. ND has 3 rivals already in the Big 10 (Michigan, Michigan St., and Purdue). And 2 of their non-conf. games would be BC and USC.
They seem to be comfortable in the Big East in the other sports. I really don't expect them to change their Independant status in Football. Its just that if they did I would like it to be The Big East.

[Snake]

Redlegs, you forgot Navy. Notre Dame plays Michigan St, Michigan, Purdue, USC, BC, and Navy just about every year

[redlegsfan21]

Redlegs, you forgot Navy. Notre Dame plays Michigan St, Michigan, Purdue, USC, BC, and Navy just about every year
Yea, thats true, 80 straight meetings I believe.

[tdk1984]

ND has beaten Navy 33 straight times (I believe Navy hasn't won since '63 when Staubach won the Heisman). I'm not sure I'd call it a rivalry anymore. I believe ND would be more of a fit in the Big Ten. However, if they joined the Big East in football as well, the conference would be officially saved from oblivion.

[Snake]

How can you not call it a rivalry, when they will be coming up on their 80th straight meeting this year. The series is also signed to continue through 2016. As a matter of fact, these 2 schools will play each other every year. In 1943, during WWII, most of the all-male (at that time) students had entered the military. Notre Dame was forced with closing the school down. Admiral Chester Nimitz petitioned the Secretary of the Navy for Notre Dame to be a site for their ROTC program. This put close to 1,000 Naval ROTC Midshipmen in Notre Dame, and allowed the school to remain open. Notre Dame will never forget what the Navy did for it, and will continue to play the Naval Academy, as long as the Naval Academy wishes to play against them.

Yes, the Navy's last win was in 63, but there have been some very close games the last few years. One game came down to Notre Dame converting a 4th and 10, and another came down to a last second field goal made by Notre Dame to win the game.

[tdk1984]

I know, I know. I was being sarcastic about it not being a rivalry. It's just that if it were two different schools, if one wins 33 in a row, they'd probably cancel all further meetings for awhile.

[redbuck]

I detest the fact that Notre Dame can finish as low as 12th in the BCS and still get an automatic bid. But I suppose I cheer for them against Michigan.

Not a big Charlie Weiss fan either.

Notre Dame will not join the Big Ten and I'm not sure that at this point the Big Ten would take them. The Big Ten is looking for a more east coast school like Rutgers that would draw tv audiences from the new york area.

This talk of ND joining a conference comes up fairly often and it never seems to happen because it is tough for a big school like that to join a conference and there seems to be a bit of an ego situation there with ND believing it's above the lowly ranks of a conference. The Big East would make the most sense if they were to join.

[charleschipmunk]

I detest the fact that Notre Dame can finish as low as 12th in the BCS and still get an automatic bid. But I suppose I cheer for them against Michigan.

Not a big Charlie Weiss fan either.

Notre Dame will not join the Big Ten and I'm not sure that at this point the Big Ten would take them. The Big Ten is looking for a more east coast school like Rutgers that would draw tv audiences from the new york area.

This talk of ND joining a conference comes up fairly often and it never seems to happen because it is tough for a big school like that to join a conference and there seems to be a bit of an ego situation there with ND believing it's above the lowly ranks of a conference. The Big East would make the most sense if they were to join.
They are already in the Big East in every other sport, so thats the natural fit if they decided to join a conference.

[redbuck]

They are already in the Big East in every other sport, so thats the natural fit if they decided to join a conference.

Yeah, but their football program is something special. The fans of ND feel a magic about it. They want to preserve rivalries with BC, Navy, Mich., USC, Purdue, Mich. State, other games with teams like Nebraska and Tennessee, and although those games make their schedule harder, they want to preserve them and cannot do that if they committed 8 games to a conference schedule.

[Snake]

redbuck is absolutely correct. For Notre Dame fans, there is a rich history that began with Knute Rockne as a player, then later as a coach, then other subsequent Notre Dame players, coaches, teams that are too numerous to name here. Notre Dame prides itself on it's outstanding football team. I know some people get mad at what is perceived as favoritism towards Notre Dame by the networks, and BCS. But that respect that they get, they have earned with a very successful program over a very long period of time. Notre Dame football has distinguished itself from most other programs, and for that reason, there will be a lot of people that just don't like them. However, like them or not, you can not deny that their football program is special. Putting them into the Big East would lower the program, and most assuredly end some of the better non-conference rivalries in the game. Would you rather see them Play USC, Michigan, Purdue, BC, Navy, Michigan St, Tennessee, etc every year, or watch them play USF, Louisville, Syracuse, U Conn, Cincinatti, West Virginia, and Pitt every year?

[redbuck]

I strongly dislike Notre Dame and I certainly hate Michigan and feel that the tradition of Ohio State far outshines that of Michigan.

But at a few select programs - Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Penn State, LSU and to an extent other programs like USC, BYU, Iowa, Clemson, many of the other southern schools, maybe Wisconsin and some other big schools - there is absolutely a magic feeling that comes with the crisp autumn air. Kids grow up craving the crowds, bands, cool clear days and big rivalries. The feeling is almost unexplainable to someone who didn't grow up in that type of situation.

As much as I hate Notre Dame, they have one of the finest examples of that setting. Watching "Rudy" can be a tedious, nauseating experience for an Ohio State fan, myself included, but it depicts a slightly exaggerated, but mostly accurate image of the aura around the school. With its religious ties and countless traditions, great fight song, etc. there is certainly reason for their program to want to preserve what they have and to feel unique.

Of course, in Columbus we think out traditions are even better. But that's part of college football and what contributes to the great rivalries - not only can you debate teams, but also traditions, bands, academics, who has better fans, even stadia or style of play. But certainly ND is a unique program.

[charleschipmunk]

I certainly don't disagree with the tradition of Notre Dame. But there are years that the sports writers inflate their status so they rise higher in the polls then they should.I don't think they should jump ahead of deserving schools based solely on their tradition. One of the most tradition bound games is the Navy-Notre Dame game. I am a big Navy fan, and even though Navy hasn't won since Ropger Staubach, Its a game I look forward to every year.

[redbuck]

I certainly don't disagree with the tradition of Notre Dame. But there are years that the sports writers inflate their status so they rise higher in the polls then they should.I don't think they should jump ahead of deserving schools based solely on their tradition. One of the most tradition bound games is the Navy-Notre Dame game. I am a big Navy fan, and even though Navy hasn't won since Ropger Staubach, Its a game I look forward to every year.

Oh, I certainly hate that too. Notre Dame gets often undeserved accolades because of its past. It is a high prominence school so is one of reporters' first choices to write about and vote for. And the higher Notre Dame is ranked, the better publicity the publication or tv station gets for airing them. Notre Dame has a big fan base. Appeasing Notre Dame fans is important for media success. They are focused on for the same reason the Yankees are focused on, good or bad. They have a lot of fans.

I get almost sick to my stomach watching the overglorification of "Touchdown Jesus" and "God's team". Give me a break. And by the way, having gold helmets isn't that unique.

But even though I hate them, Notre Dame is more interesting to watch on tv than Southwestern Arkansas Polytechnic Community College.

[charleschipmunk]

Oh, I certainly hate that too. Notre Dame gets often undeserved accolades because of its past. It is a high prominence school so is one of reporters' first choices to write about and vote for. And the higher Notre Dame is ranked, the better publicity the publication or tv station gets for airing them. Notre Dame has a big fan base. Appeasing Notre Dame fans is important for media success. They are focused on for the same reason the Yankees are focused on, good or bad. They have a lot of fans.

I get almost sick to my stomach watching the overglorification of "Touchdown Jesus" and "God's team". Give me a break. And by the way, having gold helmets isn't that unique.

But even though I hate them, Notre Dame is more interesting to watch on tv than Southwestern Arkansas Polytechnic Community College.
You are right about the comparison to the Yankees, That is very accurate. I just don't like seeing teams passed over just because of the ND mystique.