Notre Dame and a Football Conference: A Perfect Separation

To fully understand Notre Dame and its reasoning for remaining independent, you have to know its storied past—a past littered with national championships and Heisman Trophy winners, and a past that captivated all of America and made the Irish her team, with Ronald Reagan playing the “Gipp” and Rudy becoming an instant sports classic.

From revolutionary coaches who changed the entire landscape of college football to world-class academics stressing the virtues of the student athlete, these are the things make Notre Dame different.  These values are what set them apart—apart from other universities and apart from their mega-conferences.

So why would other schools want Notre Dame to be in a conference, and how would that benefit them?  Why wouldn’t Notre Dame want to be a part of it?

The controversial BCS (Bowl Championship Series) committee has put Notre Dame in a class by itself.  In doing so, they’ve created a tumultuous debate over America’s team.

Should Notre Dame join a conference, or are they simply in a league of their own, despite their current losing ways, and able to remain independent?

B.J. Luria of the Michigan Daily writes: “Notre Dame has traditionally cherished its standing as an independent.  The changes that have taken place in college football over the past several years, particularly with the Bowl Alliance, have made life more difficult for independents.”

He also goes on to write about the financial gains that would be attained from playing in a conference: “The addition of Notre Dame would most likely be advantageous for the Big Ten.  With 11 teams currently in the conference, the Big Ten could add a 12th, allowing it to split into two six-team divisions and set up a conference championship game.  Such a game could provide each school in the conference with as much as $2 million in additional revenue.  Similar formats are already in place in several conferences, including the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12.”

He suggests that with the addition of the BCS, conference championship games have squeezed the independents out and forced them to go along with the big money.  The added championship game to a team’s conference would contribute a hefty sum in the millions to both participants and their said conference.

Why wouldn’t Notre Dame want more money?  They don’t have the state funding since they’re a Catholic school, so any extra money would be beneficial for a small private university, right?

Normally, yes, but in this case it’s Notre Dame, not your ordinary university.  With national TV contracts and the largest base of “subway alumni” (fans who didn’t have the privilege of attending Notre Dame but still contribute financially), Notre Dame remains on top of the Forbes most valuable college football team list.

According to Forbes

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