What Happens To Notre Dame If Big East Asks Them To Leave?

It was Bleacher Report's very own Tobi Writes, in his article, Will Notre Dame Ultimately Cause the Big East their BCS Bowl Bid? who inspired me to ask the question, "What would happen to Notre Dame if the Big East conference asks them to leave?"

Writes' speculative piece suggests that if the Big East ousted Notre Dame, it would, "create a perception in the Big Ten that they were in a much stronger position to land ND." 

He claims that the Big Ten might redirect their efforts squarely at Notre Dame and it would, "stall out" their present effort towards getting a 12th team.  Writes believes that with extra time, the Big East would have a better chance to solidify.

We've heard the arguments for and against the Big East asking Notre Dame to leave.  We've heard the arguments suggesting one needs more than the other. 

I'm not going to debate these issues here.  I'm simply interested in understanding what would happen to Notre Dame if they had to leave the Big East—a conference they've been a non-football member since 1995.

Let me say a couple of things in regards to asking Notre Dame to leave the Big East: 

First, there is no reason that the Big East should take action in this direction at the present time.  The arrangement that these two entities have seems to be working.  If and when the Big East takes on a ninth football team, the issue might arise if such team has a strong basketball program.

The Big East might want to keep the 16 team basketball format in tact, or it might want to expand the basketball conference even further.

Secondly, if the Big East asks Notre Dame to leave, it would not happen overnight.  These things usually take years, mostly because of schedule obligations.

Third, if anyone thinks that giving an ultimatum in the form of "Either you're in as an all-sports member or you're out," will work, I don't think they understand two things:  Ultimatums don't work, and Notre Dame does not want to join a conference in football.

Most every Notre Dame card-carrying member of Bleacher Report will tell you directly that Notre Dame will not join a conference in football.

Notre Dame fans have tried to explain it many times but mostly feel that if one is not a Notre Dame fan, they just won't understand the reasons.

I'm not going to debate whether it's because they have their own television contract, whether it's because they do not want to conform to conference rules, or whether it's just a thing called "tradition."

The only way the Fighting Irish would even consider joining a conference would be if the BCS changes their rules and makes it a prerequisite that one must join a conference to play in the BCS championship game—and even that's a stretch.

So what will happen to Notre Dame if the Big East asks Notre Dame to leave?

Besides the fact that they'll probably win a lot more basketball games, I think it's clear that none of the other BCS conferences would offer them the same arrangement they enjoy with the Big East.  The major conferences just don't play by those rules.

Notre Dame, a school which operated as a basketball independent until 1995, would have to decide if they were going to go back to their former status or seek inclusion elsewhere.

As an independent, Notre Dame had years where they thrived in basketball under Digger Phelps.  In 20 years under Phelps' watch, Notre Dame won 393 games and lost 197.

After Phelps left Fordham and arrived in South Bend, he led the Irish to 14 seasons of 20 or more wins.  His Fighting Irish upset No. 1 ranked team's seven times—ending UCLA's 88 game win streak in 1974, the most famous.

In 1995, the year Notre Dame joined the Big East, they claimed it was great for recruiting and visibility in the large Eastern markets where the Big East had teams.  The idea of playing in a conference tournament was also appealing.

If Notre Dame went back to being an independent, then the conference tournament, the great conference rivalries, and the high-level of play would be gone.  Is this something they are willing to give up?

Games like last night's Notre Dame/Syracuse game will appear less frequently on national television. 

It will be harder to get good players, who wan't to play in a league like the Big East,  to come to Notre Dame.

There are other conferences who would gladly open their arms and welcome a program as important as Notre Dame.  There are conferences like the Atlantic Ten that have no football division, and would be a great fit for the Irish.

The quality of play in some of these leagues has improved.  The Atlantic Ten sends three teams to the NCAA tournament every year and Dayton and Xavier are close in distance.

The teams in the Horizon League surround Notre Dame and Butler, it's perennial winner, has been a top 25 team for the last couple of years.

What about the other sports?

The other sports currently participating in the Big East will most likely follow the path of the basketball team, or will do what the Notre Dame Hockey team does—they'll look for a conference that fits their specific sport.

Notre Dame fans and backers probably won't be too concerned about what conferences they find for the "other sports."