Anyone remember this?
“I don’t understand it,” Jack Swarbrick said as a new round of conference hopping in college athletics moved into high gear Sunday. “How do you vote as a collegiate president on something that has the potential to provide some benefit for your institution and the conference you’re affiliated with but has a very negative consequence for a host of other members of the academy, as presidents like to call it?
“I’d like to know how much of these discussions are: What’s right? What is the best thing for the larger enterprise, and how many other schools would be adversely impacted?
“I just don’t know that that’s happening.”
Yes, the ND AD complaining about the selfish behavior of Pitt and Syracuse moving to the ACC. He and his institution are so far above such crass things. They would never make a move out of no where without giving their present partners a fair notice. Notre Dame’s president put his money-where-Swarbrick’s-mouth was. Why, Rev. Jenkins even headed up the Big East expansion committee. So you know they wouldn’t act against the best interests of the Big East while helping to make big decisions.
Oh, what’s that?
The University of Notre Dame accepted an invitation today (Sept. 12) to become a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in all sports except football.
That exception for football was even in the sub-headline of the press release, “Football to stay independent but will bring five games annually to ACC.”
Even as I type this, there is a presser going on on UNC’s campus where the President and AD of Notre Dame are there with ACC honchos trumpeting the move. I’m sure you were nice enough to let the Big East offices in Providence know about this weeks in advance.
I’m surprised. I didn’t see this coming. At least not this quickly. I figured this would be a slow dance of a couple years before this took place.
The key part of this is getting ND to guarantee five ACC games a year. As I have — and others as well — this is relatively easy for ND considering their long history with BC, Cuse and Pitt. From what I understand, though, the agreement is that the Irish will have to play all of the ACC teams within a set time frame. That means it is likely that Pitt-ND will continue, but not uninterrupted.
Not surprisingly, ND fans are happy with the move. Even if they have to play five whole games against the ACC.
The issue moving forward was always going to be finding a way for Notre Dame to always have a tough enough schedule in the coming Era of Playoffs to garner support to the big dance. Swarbrick has done a good job maintaining and strengthening the ND football schedule, but he still faces a lot of issues and problems filling out an independent schedule.
Now, he’ll be locked into 5 games in the ACC (the rumor is that ND will play every ACC team once every 3 seasons) and that will give him time to focus on filling out the final 7 games on the schedule.
And when you look at it like that…7 games is nothing to sneeze at. It leaves room to keep most of Notre Dame’s traditional rivalries and seek out a couple “new” games outside of the usual suspects.
The Big East and ND had an informal agreement where the Irish would play a few Big East teams every year. The difference, was that ND got to choose and work it out. So, easy for Pitt. But with UConn, the Huskies had to agree to their “home” game taking place in Foxboro, Massachusetts. And the Rutgers series fell apart because Rutgers insisted on playing at their real home stadium, not the Medowlands.
This is in the contract and the games will be scheduled. In that respect it is something of a significant step for ND.
In fact, it seems that those five games were important to help ND with scheduling.
As other conferences grew in size – the SEC expanded to 14 teams, the Pac-12 and Big 10 went to 12 – so too did the threat that the Irish couldn’t just pick and choose opponents, especially in October and November, as they always have. The other conferences might go to nine league games (as the Pac 12 already does), eliminating one slot for a tough non-conference opponent. Earlier this year, the Big Ten and Pac-12 set up a scheduling agreement that concerned Notre Dame – although it later fell apart when the Pac-12 pulled out.
Notre Dame currently must schedule all of its 12 games per year. This drops to seven games with the ACC scheduling the other five. ACC teams will likely be featured during the more challenging dates later in the season. It’s a far easier task.
“People don’t realize how difficult it is,” the source said. “The outlook was very challenging. If the Big Ten does move to a nine-game league schedule down the line, and it could be 10 years from now, can we still count on getting Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan all in a row? And late October and November kept growing tougher.”
I’m not wild about this. I wanted no more partial memberships. I get the argument that this more formal football arrangement will be more likely to pave the way for full membership. But, I don’t buy it. It will still take years before the ND base would tolerate the move.
As with the Big East, the Irish now have access to ACC bowls. This despite also being part of the roster to possibly play the ACC Champ in the Orange Bowl. The Irish will have the potential to leapfrog ACC teams. If the Irish are within one win of the ACC team, the bowl can pick the Irish. Can’t wait for other schools to get that experience.
Yet, even that is a slight improvement over the Big East deal. In the Big East, the Irish only had to be within two wins of another school to be selected over them.
Two other things of note. Getting ND, and the guaranteed 5 games means yet another tweak to the ACC TV Deal. Roughly projected at another $2 million per school.
More importantly, from the ACC press release. This:
In addition to extending an invitation to Notre Dame, the Council of Presidents voted to increase the conference exit fees to three times the annual operating budget. Currently this would equate to an exit fee of over $50 million.
[Emphasis added.]
Huge. That’s a tremendous stabilizing force on the conference. The $20 million exit fee was prohibitive enough. This puts an end to things when it goes into effect.
Now the bigger deal
Also, poor Big 12. They wanted ND so badly, I guess they can go out and grab another team. Maybe LV? or Cincy?
PITT has secured its position for a long time. UCONN, Rutgers, Louisville, and CINCY just got another body blow. Hope that the former two can survive
Why Swofford couldn’t close the deal??
IMHO, watching all of this crap for years, reading every article, what every person was saying, including fans, olympic sport coaches, professors, big money football, I came to a few
conclusions…….
ND would never, ever go to the Big 12. Fan base was against it, would not have their olympic sports going all over God’s creation, let alone the travel expense aspect.
Couldn’t ever see ND going to Big 10. The more you read about that, the more you saw, the Big 10 was never going to offer again, ND would have had to ask. A lot of their alumni are on the East Coast. They wanted a national following, would not become just another Mid-Western school.
Were definitely not going to leave all other sports flutter in the wind of the BE. Anyone who has followed this stuff, could see that writing on the wall, from all ND people involved.
So, they needed a home for the olympic sports, there was one, and only one real choice. The ACC.
Knowing this, why Swofford couldn’t turn the screws just a little more and seal the deal??
Not pontificating, just my thoughts, as I’ve watched closely all of this crap unfold.
I posted before, who knows all of the angles and what’s been said, but, IMHO, I just can’t believe this happened again.
ND’s options were few. Some say it leads the way to them joining the conference in football.
That’s a nice thought, would like to see that in writing, that in 5 years, ND becomes a full member.
I also see I wrote, “I could live with UCONN football”!! Ha Ha!! LMAO.
But, could they live with us?? LOL
If it lead to solidifying the ACC and the $50 million buyout….it’s not a loss. HUGE win!
Losing FSU and Clemson would have cost us alot of money…stability at $50 million buyout is the key. Look at the forest instead of concentrating on trees.
ACC team every 3 years Pitt can now
get WVU back on the schedule (every year).
Please let’s get away from playing the MAC
and FCS teams.
Bottom line is the ACC should have told Notre Dame to pound sand. Instead, we’re now the Big East v2.0.
I’m feeling more like Pitt+21 is a more accurate line. In either case, you’re a winner.
1) ACC now fulfills their desire to deposition the BE by taking (BC, VT, Miami, PITT, SU, and ND) thus giving it control of the eastern seaboard and the largest TV market in the country
2) ACC pluck ND from the market (Big 10 and B12) by securing (or prohibiting) them for the future with a 50 million dollar exit fee (the reason to add ND was more a move to prevent ND from going elsewhere with the exit fee)
3) ACC stabilizing this conference by increasing the exit fee o 50M per school thus ending all discussion of exodus by Clemson and FSU
4) ACC destroy the BE by not beating it head to head but instead consuming it
Must say that those in the ACC had a strategic plan and it appears that they may have executived it perfectly. “It’s a marathon not a sprint”.
PITT is sitting pretty after all. 19.2M payout per year from the ACC. Old geographic rivals. Remains in a conference close to their alumni and prospective student recruitment. Stability in a conference with a 50M payout.
Now if we could only take care of our own business.
Losing a bowl bid to a full conference member is not being shafted. Losing one to a team with their own TV deal and scheduling power is. Furthermore, they don’t have to be equal or better to take the bowl; they can take it with FEWER wins.
Increasing the exit buyout (already a good $20 mil)could have been achieved without revisiting old BE failings. The BE almost had to because they are desperate. The ACC is not.
What they have to do more than anything is improve their academics.
And, finally, they’ve got to change the name of the Big East Conference. “Dross” comes to mind.
miami if we were in the big east mac or ACC THEY WOULD STILL HAVE PLAYED THOES 3 TEAMS ANY WAY .
so they really only gave the ACC 2 games think abought that so knowing that the ACC should have said come on bord but you must play 6 games.
Would like to know what the vote was on that.
Hope it was 14-0.
so you are really only giveing us 2 games we want 3 for a total of 6.
That being said, the more I thought about it, the $50 million exit fee is a stupendous amount of money, and even Notre Dame would have to think twice about paying that. If Notre Dame ever joins a conference, it’ll be the ACC, but I frankly don’t ever see that happening.
I think the make-or-break for this deal won’t shake out until the next round of bowl deals. If the potential for Notre Dame lures in better bowl ties to the ACC, then its a win, and a pretty clear cut win at that. Right now the SEC and Big Ten have most of the premier bowls. The potential of a Big 10-Notre Dame bowl matchup is something that is so lucrative I could see a lot of bowls lining up for. If the prospect of Notre Dame allows the ACC to outmaneuver the SEC for a better bowl tie, then its hard not to call it a win.
However, I fear this is just Pitt moving to another version of the ACC. I hate the sweetheart deals Notre Dame gets, it makes me furious. I really wish the ACC would have had the balls to leave them out in the cold.
abought dixon
calhoun leaveing yes nothing abought dixon on them
I like the idea playing ND every 3 years. That would allow us to possibly play WVU or PSU. Hell throw in a SEC school. I just don’t care about ND games like some other Pitt fans do.
As for Saturday, I think Pitt will play tough. I know its a long shot but I think Pitt will keep the game close. Problem is Pitt will find a way to lose in the 4th.
Christopher Walken 🙂
but the way you said it short and to the point
scared me so bad i forget and the way thing are going in foot ball i belived it .
link to espn.go.com
Fellow Houstonian here who agrees with you.
Christopher Walken”, That’s a good one. I loved Walken in that classic “The Deer Hunter”, which was filmed in Pittsburgh.
What do you think the title of the Sandusky Pedo State movie will be?
Maybe, “The Queer Hunter”. LOL
Well, Coach Chyst intended to let his actions speak for him, so far he seems to be dealing with a persistent case of laryngitis.
After one more week of Tino taking a beating both from VA TECH as well as his own usual self imposed punishment, hopefully then Coach will bench Sunseri and opt for some new blood at QB. That should help him get his voice back because that WOULD be a bold dramatic action to his credit.
Second, the $50M was a key negotiation agreed to by all schools. Don’t be overly confident that the sum prohibits all teams from still moving. These conferences may take on 1/2 of an exit fee or more to get their team. That said, it would take a lot of balls for an AD to put that option out to the BOT.
Third, the ACC is somewhat hosed for further expansion under this model. There are 15 schools for all sports except football. To get to 16 teams in Bball and all other sports, the newest member couldn’t have a FBall team because it would create an 8 and a 7 team conference, which is impossible from a scheduling standpoint. Opens up for a Villanova or G’Town if the ACC goes that direction.
I do think the ACC could have made a more seroius push for full membership, but it is hard to play chicken sometimes. I do expect ND to be a full member in 5 years so long as ND does not contend for a national championship in that timeframe. The luster is wearing off the program and NBC knows it. Viewership is down, but for now they will take a slight financial hit to say they own the rights!That may not be the case in a couple of years.
Hail to Pitt!
As far as scheduling, I would not schedule WVU or Penn State. WVU is on an island with their closest conference competition over 700 miles away. For recruiting purposes, keep them on that island. Make it more painful for the kids who pick the number one party school over academics to play close to home.
Penn State, I just wouldn’t play them. They are another school on the outskirts of their conference footprint. Isolation is what they deserve. That said, I would expect PSU and WVU to start playing with each other (emphasis added). What a bunch of inbreds that would spawn! As many young men in West Virginia express every June, “Happy father’s day uncle bob”.
First there will be better football bowl opportunities for ACC teams.
Basketball, well OMG what a conference.
Finally, there are 15 and one day there will be 16. UCon. Rutgers and Louisville will try, but don’t be suprised to see PSU look for a fresh start back in the east.
Pederson also said Notre Dame is locked in to becoming a full member of the ACC if it ever decides to give up its independent status.
“That’s a big part of this,” he said.
And if so, I wonder does the ACC deal contain that language/agreement.
I like the positives
1) extra 2M per ACC team per year in amending TV deal
2) 50M exit fee for schools from ACC (stability)
The reality is that if PITT doesnt get ND every year then we can add WVU on the off year.
Not bad for PITT and we can use the extra 2M per year.