The problem? money. However, if you create a network that provides maximum exposure nationwide and creates more revenue than what ND already gets, now your talking about a completely different animal altogether. Why, at a BTN press conference, would Delany mention expansion? Don’t think that ND isn’t nosing around about the BTN and the revenues the network will create. Don’t think there isn’t discussions about the finacials at South Bend. These are volital times in college football. The last time ND expressed interest was at the beginning of the BCS. They didn’t want to be shut out. Of course, they got a great deal. But for how long?

The BCS sytem is getting tweaked yet again.(probably) What will happen with the next BCS or some offspring of it. My gut tells me that ND gets nervous every time the BCS is tweaked. They are still ND, but with ESPN, ESPN 2 and the other 25 games all playing simultaniously on a saturday, ND isn’t quite what it used to be. When I was a kid you got the Big Ten game of the week and ND. That was it! Times have changed. They are one of four I-A independants. ND, in my mind, knows that the days as an independant are numbered. I don’t care what any body says about the Big Ten being down. It is the the most powerful atheletic and academic conference in the Country, with the most powerful man in college athletics as its commissioner, with huge institutions and encompasses one quarter of the nations population.

ND expressed some interest in the Big Ten b/f the BTN. The only peice to the puzzle left, is can the BTN tip the revenue scale solidly in favor of joining over a path of Independence? That’s the million dollar question.

Basketball fans? Unless they play on MSG, they won’t pay much attention to them either. You need to understand NYorker’s attitude before venturing out to even persuade them to a college sports fan.
Alot of NYorkers have attitude of George Steinberner, either you win the championship or you’re just an another bystander. They might pay attention to you if you have chance of winning nat’ championship, or nothing.

I believe that Rutgers has potential, but it’s literally going to take at least a decade of success on the gridiron before they become a true candidate for Big Ten membership. There are a ton of factors that favor Rutgers, such as its location close to New York City and strong academic reputation as a state flagship university. However, the Big Ten is only going to take an additional member that’s guaranteed to pay overwhelming dividends over the long-term (mere potential is not going to cut it with this group). Perhaps Rutgers could become the preeminent alternative to Notre Dame to be the 12th Big Ten member, but I believe that Syracuse has the upper hand at this point in time (there’s a reason why the ACC originally wanted the Orange over Virginia Tech). Regardless, the Big Ten will only make a move when there’s such an obvious choice available that the general public wouldn’t even bother debating its merits (right now, Notre Dame would be the only one to fit that criteria). It took quite awhile to get Penn State accepted into the conference and they had an impeccable resume of success along with the ability to sell 100,000 tickets every week, so the standards are set incredibly high.

Thanks for the great comment. I understand your line of thinking, but I believe that the future of the BCS conferences is to get away from the history of regionalism that you’ve indicated here and instead look to more national audiences. Certainly, with the advent of the Big Ten Channel on the horizon along with top shelf television deals with ABC, ESPN, and CBS, I believe that the Big Ten ought to look outside of its current footprint as opposed to within. National exposure is why the ACC added Boston College and attempted to add Syracuse a couple of years ago. While Notre Dame is physically located in Indiana, I see it as the one school out there where its location is irrelevant - it’s such a nationally recongized program that people don’t see it as just an Indiana college. I still think the Irish are a perfect match for the Big Ten, but if they continue to insist on being independent, I’m a strong advocate of the conference breaking out of the Midwestern regional mold, especially when it has a prime opportunity to become the dominant force in East with a Penn State - Syracuse combo in addition to its established stronghold in the Midwest. Think of it as a game of Risk as it applies to college sports - the conference that has the strongest footprint is the one that’s going to dominate on and off the field in the long-term.