12, 14 or 16, which would you like to see?

[GopherinPhilly]

My gut tells me that we are going to be looking at a 4 superconference set up after the next two years shake out. Big Ten, Pac Ten, ACC and SEC will all be 14-16 team conferences and the remaining teams will comprise the also rans.

The Big Ten and Fox are just making too much money off BTN for this to not force ESPN, CBS and ABC to lock up the other major conferences with joint marketing/broadcasting deals...and four superconferences would be the most profitable.

I see the Big Ten adding Mizzou, NE, Pitt, Rutgers or Cuse and ND. If ND says no...they will be forced to kiss ass in the SEC and I just don't see them doing that...it makes no sense and would be hugely expensive for their entire sports budget.

I may be wrong and/or crazy...but the Big East and the Big Twelve as we know it will be gone in two years. I also see the possibility of a new fifth conference with the Texas schools all joining plus some of the Big Twelve and some additions from the west like Utah, SDSU and maybe a couple other Cali schools.

Could be 5 major conferences and the also rans in college football.

 

[Rosemountian]

Why would the Big East give ND an ultimatum? This is simply wishful thinking on your part and not based in any kind of reality. Big East invited ND to join their conference in basketball (along with several other schools) knowing that ND did not want to join in football. ND wants to remain independent in football. Period.

The Big East would give Notre Dame an ultimatum for this reason:

If they don't the Big East risks losing more football teams. It would be easy for the Big East to pick off an A-10 or other northeastern basketball team to get back up to 16.

If Notre Dame chooses to join BE football, the conference instantly gains more credibility.
If Notre Dame chooses to not join BE football, they will be forced to join another conference to make other sports profitable (the conference they would join would most likely be the B10 and the B10 wouldn't let them join and stay independent in football)
If Notre Dame doesn't join the Big Ten the Big Ten will most likely take one or more teams from the Big East. Even if it only one team, the Big East takes another major hit. If it is 3+ even more will be taken by the ACC and/or SEC to keep up with Big Ten expansion.

In essence, Notre Dame joining the Big East saves Big East football.
Notre Dame dropping out if the Big East in other sports forces them to join the Big Ten, and Notre Dame joining the Big Ten also saves Big East football.

You cannot compare Notre Dame joining but not joining in football to schools like marquette and St. Johns because they do not play football. You cannot say the Big East invited ND knowing they didn't want to play football, because that is old news. The same situation no longer applies, the Big East at this point is about preserving their conference and the best way to do it is to have ND join either Big East of Big Ten football.

Notre Dame wants to stay independent, period. You are correct, but if the BE drops their conference affiliation in all sports other than football, they will be forced to join another conference or risk going broke.

 

[mplsbadger]

You aren't thinking this out. ND badly wants to remain independent. The ONLY way they will reconsider is if college football moves to superconferences. That's only important because it means a playoff is likely, and independents will be left out of the national title picture. ND knows that we would never follow through on that threat and ask 3 Big East teams to join, destroying the Big East, and then telling ND to go f themselves, they had their chance. It's just not going to happen. The Big 10 wants ND. Everyone knows this. What I outlined is the only way it's happening.

I'm just not sure they have that much control over the timing. Are you saying for example that if the B10 added Syracuse, Rutgers, and Pitt that ND could hen say, 'Oh, we didn't realize you were serious, we want in too', and the B10 would immediately go to 15?