ND will join a conference; it won't be the ACC

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by TNKY

The reason these message boards suggested this as an outside possibilty is that Notre Dame is not fond of the B1G at all and if the day ever comes where they are forced to join a conference the PAC is an interesting option if done so with a 4 team eastern pod. .

"not fond of the B10?" really. then why did they negotiate so long with it in the late 1990's and came close to opting for membership? Purdue, U-M, and MSU are three of ND's biggest rivals. They have major rivalries with other conference schools as well. and they are smack in the middle of Big Ten country, part of the culture even if they aren't a member.

if there is a disliking for the B10, it comes with being an independent. Once a decision is made that independence will not be a part of the future, the Big Ten becomes the most attractive conference there is for the Irish.

Pac 12? You gotta be kidding. The natural base for ND is the midwest and, to a degree, the northeast. It's not California and the west. and what a killer financially joining the Pac 12 would be. Can you imagine those flights for games in Eugene and Corvallis or Tucson and Tempe for basketball games? There is no way that ND would join the Pac 12. As for football, all ND wants out of the west coast is a yearly appearance: one year in LA, the other in Palo Alto. That's all.

I'll stick to my original premise: there will be a 4 team (spec conference champs) playoff to replace the BCS, ND gets left out as an independent and only the Big Ten delivers for the Irish: its own midwestern base, plus the NYC, Philly, Balt, Wash markets in the northeast it craves with Rutgers, Penn St, and UMd. The ACC offers Boston. Period. The Big Ten is where the future is for ND. They may not like how things are working out, but it is the way it's going to go.

[TNKY]

Okay, I think we get the idea about the PAC12 and this thread.