Notre Dame Pays Alms to Big Ten in 2008

With every autumn comes a few mothy sweaters, a nesting of priorities, and a bit of anticipation for that cathartic release of College Football.  Included in this journey are the questions about this year's teams?Who's grilling the brats? What the heck have we been doing with our foolhardy lives since last season and to answer the perennial question of:

Why don't the Irish join a conference already?  The Big Ten makes so much sense.

My gut tells me this question is more closely related to selling newspapers than reality, so in an effort to save some trees, I've outlined a few facts to help people decide for themselves why Notre Dame football has zero interest in joining a conference anytime soon.

First of all, Notre Dame is very much affiliated with a conference.  The Big East is near and dear to most Irish gamers and happens to be a good fit for the majority of their athletic programs.  Perennial contenders in most pursuits, they are very much overshadowed by the glow of football tradition. 

Notre Dame Football is not a good fit for the Big East because of lost Big 10 rivalries. However, let's assume ND carries part of the traditional weight of the very successful SEC and use this as a basis for comparison.

Let's start with the fact that Notre Dame is the NCAA's most valuable football asset with annual revenues reaching $101 million, $45.8 million in profit, and $21.1 million (2006-2007 season) going to education.  Twenty-one million is as much as the next five most valuable teams contributed to their respective schools combined.

Operating independent of the conference system also allows Notre Dame to keep $9 million in annual television revenue from NBC, the undisclosed amount collected from ABC for the majority of its away games, and the bulk of its bowl receipts if they can possibly win seven games.

Revenue for Notre Dame Football has consistently increased and even 2007 (the worst season on record) is hardly an indication of future failure. To wit, the SEC has six of the top 20 revenue producers and the national contenders to accommodate the assumption that annual revenues matter. Obviously, revenue is not the only element of success but a good measurement of continued prosperity for Notre Dame, the SEC, and all revenue producers.

A silly blogger once mentioned that the shrinking Catholic demographic didn't favor the Irish but she must have missed the Wall Street Journal interview with President Father Jenkins regarding the influx of Hispanic influences at the University of Notre Dame. 

It is a Catholic demographic I think everyone views as growing, both in this country and at Notre Dame.  This argument is as logical as blaming the stadium rebuild (blocking Jesus view of game) on the recent demise of the football program.

Notre Dame also happens to have the 13th largest endowment in the country at $6.5 billion.  The closest SEC counterpart is Vanderbilt at $3.48 billion and the combined endowment for the entire SEC rests at $5.26 billion.

This speaks volumes for itself but if Notre Dame feels athletics is an important part of the educational experience and or a strong marketing tool, then I suspect they'd be willing to invest some of this money before going to the Big 10 for handouts.

Finally, the hornets' nest that breeds the most contempt.  NBC and those pesky TV ranking that justified a contract extension.  Notre Dame football averages a rating of 3.0 and a seven share with a high of 3.6 rating and a nine share. 

To put this in perspective, NBC's Sunday Night Football "Smashing Success" and "Highest rated sports program" got—drum roll please—a 3.6 rating and a nine share.  CBS and the ENTIRE SEC football coverage averaged (which includes ND I might add) a 3.1 rating with a seven share.

The University of Notre Dame and its football program more than uphold their end of the bargain by playing a strong schedule, doing their best to promote sportsmanship along with a solid education, and individually doing their bit to live up to the historical standards set before them.

So when giving away money for no apparent reason, throwing your opinion to the wolves, and discarding tradition are the right things to do, then I suspect you'll see the Irish shopping for a conference.  Until then, I imagine the University of Notre Dame will entertain your request for alms.