Conference Realignment: Notre Dame Losing Football Independence Beneficial

Notre Dame football fans, it may be time to consider the options for the Irish while conference realignment continues to evolve around the golden dome.  Yes, it's taboo, but it's time to take a serious look at the inevitable.

When one analyzes realignment and Notre Dame's options, one has to look at it from two perspectives.  If the Irish can maintain independence in football, what are its options?  It could remain in a weak Big East or it may be able to join the Big 12, playing double the required conference games in football that it's required to play in the Big East.

Second, the Irish have to consider what options exist that require football to lose its independence.  Notre Dame could join the Big Ten or ACC.  In those instances, the Irish would be looking at the value of playing perennial rivals versus maintaining independence.

Who's the best match academically?

Finally, the Irish have to consider peripheral considerations.  Does Notre Dame continue to prop up a conference like the Big East with its Olympic sports, or does it join a conference that has a solid core of Olympic sports?  If it joins a conference with established Olympic sports, who's the best match?

For fun, let's analyze Notre Dame's options in full.

Discounting the Big East

Determining which conference is best for the Irish is a twisted and convoluted argument.  Before considering Notre Dame's independence versus joining a conference with football, the two weakest options must be discussed.

Is it worth it for the Irish to remain in a Big East that is deteriorating and flirting with Conference USA?  Big East teams are begging to join other conferences with a high likelihood of Louisville and West Virginia leaving. 

The best part of the Big East is Notre Dame's ability to remain independent in football while playing in a good basketball conference.  Without Pitt, Syracuse and possibly West Virginia or Louisville, though, how good is that basketball conference?

Notre Dame single-handedly props up the Big East's reputation in Olympic sports.  Wouldn't it be more lucrative for the Olympic sports to leave the conference to find more enticing matchups?

The Irish can't stay in the Big East, lest they be left behind in a poor conference that has a high probability of losing its one redeeming quality—being a BCS conference.

Irish Square Peg, Big Ten's Round Hole

Conference realignment discussions usually revolve around the Big Ten when the Irish are mentioned, but the only match between the schools is geography.  If the Irish look at the Big Ten, they're looking at a loss of football independence.  Is it worth it?

Consider that the Big Ten's basketball is not the best from top to bottom.  Also consider what Notre Dame has in terms of Olympic sports.  How does the Big Ten fit with Notre Dame's excellent soccer teams, excellent lacrosse, better than average baseball for a northern school and the other Irish Olympic sports in which Notre Dame excels? 

The biggest advantage the Big Ten offers is the ability to play hockey.  Then again, hockey has its own league, and the Big Ten isn't a conference in that league.  Feasibly, the Irish could join another conference while retaining the ability to play its regular hockey schedule.

There is no benefit to Notre Dame's membership in the Big Ten, except geography.

Big 12 vs. ACC

Where should the Irish cast their eyes towards" the Big 12 or the ACC?  They'll have to weigh the benefit of football independence versus football membership, but these two conferences offer more for all Irish sports than either the Big Ten or Big East.

If the Big 12 offered Notre Dame football independence, but required six games with conference football teams per year, is it worth it for the Irish to join the Big 12?  Notre Dame would gain perennial games with Texas and Oklahoma, while likely having its choice of lesser Big 12 opponents.  The benefit would be lucrative games and recruiting exposure in Texas.  The Irish would also retain the the ability to continue its current rivalries.

The Big 12 also shares the same competitiveness in other sports that Notre Dame provides the Big East.  Soccer is good.  Baseball is good.  Basketball is fantastic.  What's not to like?  Then again, lacrosse and hockey are left out, but they have their own conferences for those leagues, anyway.

Now, consider the ACC.  Notre Dame would likely be forced to give up its independence, but what would they receive in return?  The Irish would, again, be part of another great basketball conference where Mike Brey could challenge his mentor, Mike Krzyzewski.  Instead of playing in merely a good conference for other sports, the Irish would be playing in the premiere conference for other sports.

Who dominates the NCAA in Notre Dame's most successful sports?  The ACC. 

The ACC leads the nation in men's and women's soccer.  The ACC, also, has the strongest basketball conference, now.  Furthermore, the ACC has its own lacrosse conference.  And, historically strong programs exist in both baseball and softball.

The ACC's schools more similarly match Notre Dame academically, as well, when you consider Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt and Georgia Tech.

We'll consider this argument from another perspective, though.

Football Appeal

When you consider Notre Dame's options for football, one should look to the value of the games played if the Irish have to play the same conference opponents year in and year out.  How much would you pay to see matchups with the same conference opponents every year.  As a reference, consider that Pitt normally charges its fans $30 or $35 per game, but charge $75 when Notre Dame comes to town.  How much would these matchups cost?

 Atlantic Coast Conference

1. Notre Dame vs. Miami
2. Notre Dame vs. Florida State
3. Notre Dame vs. Boston College
4. Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech
5. Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech

Big Ten

1. Notre Dame vs. Michigan
2. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
3. Notre Dame vs. Nebraska
4. Notre Dame vs. Penn State
5. Notre Dame vs. Nebraska

Big XII

1. Notre Dame vs. Texas
2. Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma
3. Notre Dame vs. TCU
4. Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State

Big East

1. Notre Dame vs. West Virginia
2. Notre Dame vs. Louisville
3. Notre Dame vs. UConn
4. Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati

Consider, as well, that joining the ACC allows Notre Dame to retain rivalries with Michigan and USC.  And, there's no doubt that wherever the Irish land, they'll continue their rivalry with Navy out of the indebtedness they owe the Academy from WWII.

Imagine an ACC Schedule

Imagine Notre Dame's football schedule if it played football in the ACC.  To maximize its lucrative games, the Irish would likely be placed in the Coastal Division with cross-division matchups to fill in the gaps.  Additionally, the Irish would fill in the gaps with its natural rivals and a single game for the sake of national recruiting.  Would you favor this schedule compared to Notre Dame's 2011 schedule?

 Hypothetical 2013 Schedule 

1. Navy
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. Georgia Tech
5. Miami
6. Florida State
7. Boston College
8. Virginia Tech
9. Duke
10. Virginia
11. North Carolina
12. Southern Cal

Now, compare and ask yourself how you would pay to see a Big Ten schedule that forced the Irish to play the likes of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa. 

Irish Must Find a Fit

It's inevitable the Irish are going to leave the Big East, because it's no longer a viable conference for a well-rounded and successful athletic program like Notre Dame's.  If Geno Auriemma wants to blame the Irish for the Big East's woes based on Notre Dame's football independence, he can see how his conference fares without the rest of Irish athletics.

Notre Dame must find a home with equal peers.  Nobody is more identical to the Irish in terms of placing priorities on the coexistence of academic and athletic prominence like the ACC programs.  The ACC prides itself on its student-athletes and multiple national championships.  That translates into respect and money across the board.

Will the Irish make a conference move soon?  If so, will it be the right one?  If Notre Dame fans are lucky, they'll witness a perfect match when the Irish accept a bid to the ACC.