What Would It Take for Notre Dame Football to Join a Conference?

I try to be a decent guy.  I really do.  Anyone can look through my comments and the articles I've written and see that it's clear I try to influence with facts and stay away from being combative just for the sake of being combative.

Recently, I wrote an article which many Notre Dame fans thought was anything from anti-Notre Dame at worst to ignorant or "typical."

With that disclosure out of the way, I'm going to do something a little different (hopefully better) this time around.  Never let it be said that I can't learn a lesson...even if it's the hard way.

I'm going to again write about Notre Dame joining a conference—but this time, instead of saying why I think they should or that it may become inevitable, I'm going to ask Notre Dame fans especially (and other fans if they wish to opine) why not and under what circumstances Notre Dame fans would like to see that happen...if at all.

I've heard ND fans say everything: The school has a "purpose," they enjoy the freedom that being an independent provides, revenue arguments, the longstanding nature of some of the traditional series that are being played.

What if there were a way for ND to keep all that, but also be in a conference?

Obviously, Notre Dame itself is not against being in a conference when they think it benefits them, because they are in the Big East for every sport but football.  Also, someone pointed out to me that Notre Dame once tried to join the Big Ten and the Big Ten wouldn't play ball.

Obviously they must have had an idiotic commissioner back then, because I am fairly certain Jim Delany would not be saying no today.

So let's suppose that the Big Ten were to decide they had to expand to 12 teams and match the SEC, Big 12, and ACC (something there have been rumblings of in the very recent past, and which may still be being discussed at conference meetings behind closed doors).

Let's further stipulate that they wanted to make Notre Dame the sweetest of sweetheart deals and give one more "college" try to get them to join, before sealing the door shut by inviting another team such as Rutgers, Syracuse, or some of the others that have been mentioned.

What would it take?  What kind of proposal would be good enough?  Is there a proposal that would be good enough?

Here are some thoughts on what I think could be done on the part of the Big Ten if they wanted to write the mother of all enticing contracts.

* Notre Dame is allowed to keep their NBC contract for as long as NBC wishes to renew, including the broadcasting of conference games played at Notre Dame.

* The conference splits into divisions, which allows Notre Dame to keep their traditional games with Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue, as well as have the flexibility to keep some of their existing games as non-conference games.

With the 12-game schedules permanent now, that leaves four games to play with.  Outside of Notre Dame's three Big Ten series, they only have five other ongoing series (Navy, USC, Stanford, Pitt, Boston College).  Surely ND could drop one of these.

After the decision of which one to drop, scheduling issues could be worked out to accommodate all.  The Big Ten has added an extra week going forward to allow each team to have a bye week, which would make this process much, much easier.

* If ND goes to a bowl game (including a BCS game), they get to keep all the revenue, but they share in none of the revenue if another team goes (in other words, just like it is now).

We know that ND would be an at-large team any time they are eligible, so many times the "new" conference would usually have its revenue from the BCS and ND still have its revenue in the same season.  Therefore, this is unlikely to affect the Big Ten that often (only in years where ND is the Big Ten champ but the Big Ten gets no other at-large).

The interest and marketability of their conference with ND in it would more than make up for it in other areas.

* The conference allows ND to remain a Big East member in all other sports if it wants to.  Remember, this is the deal to end all deals.

* NBC only covers the home games.  Yet the Big Ten could offer to let ND have influence in the televising of its other games.  If ND didn't want to ever appear on Big Ten Network, they are allowed to say they don't want to (including replay rights).

* If ND were to ever decide they wanted to be an Independent again, they could do so with two seasons' notice and no penalty.

* The conference would get no share of licensing revenues for Notre Dame products nor share in any current or future endowments or revenues related to the school.  But for whatever incremental Big Ten-related merchandising and licensing revenue increase that can be determined ND brings to the conference, ND gets half of it.

* The conference could not direct ND in any way concerning admission, enforcement, its mission, etc.

* Notre Dame would share as an equal member in all conference revenues related to there being a Big Ten championship game.

So there are the things I can think of in this one sitting that would allow Notre Dame to remain Notre Dame and yet be a fully functioning member of the Big Ten.  From revenue to autonomy to prestige to scheduling, I tried to think of everything.

Where am I all wet?  What did I miss?  What could be improved?  Could ND fans get excited about joining the Big Ten if ALL the conditions were right?

I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions.  And this time, maybe I won't get called many names (crosses fingers).