Notre Dame joined a conference—for the bowl season—courtesy of the BCS in 2006-07.  Now that two years of the four-year BCS contract have elapsed, it is time to analyze the results.

BCS Contract Changes for Notre Dame—What Happened

Effective the 2006-2007 bowl season, the Bowl Championship Series expanded their number of bowl games to five by adding a separate National Championship game—10 slots for BCS games.

Notre Dame, with former athletic director Kevin White negotiating, agreed to accept second-place (in a conference) money—$4.5 million—for any BCS bowl appearance.  Previously, Notre Dame received a conference champion’s share, which has since grown to $17 million.

Automatic qualification for Notre Dame was changed from the top six to the top eight.  Qualification for selection remained at the top 12 with nine wins.

If Notre Dame did not go to a BCS bowl, it would receive the equivalent of a Big East non-participating team share—$1.3 million.   

Many ND alumni and fans were immediately upset with this agreement—and rightfully so.  The bowls were pleased to get Notre Dame for one-fourth the cost.

What it meant for Notre Dame, who does not need the $1.3 million per year if it doesn't make the BCS, is this:

• Under the prior agreement, one BCS bowl in four years would be $17 million.

• Under the new agreement, four BCS bowls in four years would be $18 million ($4.5 million x 4).

• Under the new agreement, one BCS bowl in four years would be $8.4 million ($4.5 million + (3 x $1.3 million or $3.9 million)).

Anything fewer than four BCS bowls in four years is less money than one BCS bowl under the prior contract—and that assumes the conference champion’s share does not continue to go up. 

Notre Dame could be ranked number one, higher than any conference champion, play for the national championship, and get the same $4.5 million—second-place money.

In adding the fifth game, the BCS would guarantee at least two at-large spots for second-place BCS conference teams.  With ten spots—minus six automatically going to the conference champions—two of the remaining four could possibly go to a non-BCS team and to Notre Dame—as in 2006-07.  Two more would be available for other BCS teams.

Non-BCS teams—Boise State and Hawaii—have met automatic qualifier status in the first two years of the new rules. Last year, when Notre Dame did not qualify, three spots went to BCS at-large teams.

Of course, if neither ND nor a non-BCS team qualifies, four slots would be open to BCS conference teams.  Under the prior agreement, in 2005-06 with only four BCS games, Penn State and Notre Dame filled the only two at-large slots available.    

In short, the BCS conferences exchanged a negligible change in qualification status to ND for much less money and increased the number of second-place conference teams in BCS bowls

The Notre Dame Impact on a Bowl

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