The Parable Of Notre Dame and The Big Ten

There once was a very young man who detested a very young woman who lived within his orbit. He defined himself as the essence of his country's best values, and he saw her as foreign to the point of being the antithesis of his country's best values. He saw her as lower class, fit only to beg from him and his kind. 

He used all power he had to force all those in his acquaintance to stay away from that young woman. Not content to ostracize her, he actively tried to harm her, socially and financially. He wanted her driven out and ground down.

After a time of great struggle against terrible odds, the young woman blossomed into a thing of rare beauty and character, beloved of many. Her character allowed her to become very wealthy and powerful.

And when the young man realized that the young woman had bypassed and so defeated him, he came to covet her. He knew that the only way he could ever beat her was to own her.

Over the years, he devised many strategies to woo her, offering many bribes. But she remained untainted by his temptations, knowing what he was and content with what she had forged.

And then the no longer young man hit upon the master stroke: he would maneuver things so that if the woman refused him still, he could harm her and her family and friends. As he was the embodiment of his country, his using such strategy to force her hand would be good for all. It would highlight both his persistence and his magnanimity. It would prove to all that he was indeed the master of his domain. He had the power to move people as if they were mere pawns on the board, the power to make her, with all her wealth and esteem, dance to his tune, if only to prevent herself from suffering new hardships caused by him.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, the pious man had been taught in his youth, and such a shotgun wedding would be the total victory expected when he began the fight. Only it would look very different than he had imagined. Threatening her with new hardships would force her to bend to his will - she would serve his desires.

Terrance Harris writes on FanHouse that Notre Dame and the Big Ten are talking again: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/06/08/big-ten-notre-dame-are-talking-again/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002

Harris quotes his unnamed source as saying: "'"Now Notre Dame has to be asking themselves who will they schedule in a four-conference,16-team (per conference) environment?" the source said. "They can maybe schedule the WAC, the MAC and Sun Belt Conference. The questions are: Is that less than what NBC bargained for and will those schools get to a BCS national championship game? I'd say no.'"

So, it seems that in order to force ND to join its league, the Big Ten is ready to bust up two BCS leagues (Big East and Big 12), causing various disruptions to other conferences, leading to 4 super sized conferences of 16, or at least 14, members, which will make it next to impossible for Notre Dame as an independent to have a respectable football schedule, without which the Irish will lose their TV deal.

Who would go along with such threats? Could you ever trust a league that would go to such lengths to force you to join? 

Wouldn't a school with integrity reject such an 'offer'? An offer that sounds as if it is part of the script for Godfather IV: the Mob Gets Into College Sports, Making Offers Even the Irish Can't Refuse.