[cruzan_flame13]

This was an interesting read and nothing is definite; enjoy:

Notre Dame wants to schedule a 13th game. Here’s how the Irish can do it legally
I can’t promise the Irish would actually like these outcomes, but there are ways to pull it off within current rules.

By Matt Brown@MattSBN Jan 7, 2019, 9:00am EST

Notre Dame made the College Football Playoff with a 12-0 record. That was one game fewer than the other Playoff teams played. The independent Irish don’t have to play a conference championship game, and boy howdy, this sure makes other college football fans mad!

But Notre Dame would love to play a 13th game, if only it were allowed, according to athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who tells ESPN: “We would love the opportunity to play a 13th game to take that issue off the table. Nothing would make us happier.”

Under NCAA rules, FBS teams can typically only schedule 12 pre-championship games. And in the Irish AD’s telling, Notre Dame needs help from everyone else to make its own 13th game happen.

Click Here for Full Story

[Purple Haize]

Taking the group of Independents and poaching a couple has always been an option. But I see that for all Independents not named Notre Dame. There is no upside in it for them. Huge upside for the other Independents and a few stragglers already in a Conference though.
The only viable option if that is what ND truly wants is to go all in with the ACC or B1G

[Sly Fox]

What if Indy-considering Texas joined this little pseudo league? You'd only need to grab fence-straddling UConn.

[Purple Haize]

What if Indy-considering Texas joined this little pseudo league? You'd only need to grab fence-straddling UConn.

At that point you are already on the road to the Super Conference that will shake up College Footbal. There will be no more FBS and FCS. There will be basically 3 divisions at the “top”. The Pay For Play folks at ND Texas Alabama etc. Your current Traditional FBS schools and your current Tradtional FCS schools. With a lot of movement

[ballcoach15]

NCAA needs to start making ND play by same rules as the other 129 schools. STOP giving ND special treatment, and STOP giving ND athletic director "a seat at the table", with conference commissioners.
Force ND to join Big 10. All other NCAA schools should stop playing Notre Dame in any sport, until they join Big 10.

[Purple Haize]

NCAA needs to start making ND play by same rules as the other 129 schools. STOP giving ND special treatment, and STOP giving ND athletic director "a seat at the table", with conference commissioners.
Force ND to join Big 10. All other NCAA schools should stop playing Notre Dame in any sport, until they join Big 10.

But they already belong to the ACC in all other sports

[ballcoach15]

I realize that, but in my opinion Notre Dame doesn't belong in ACC in any sport. I still cannot believe the ACC caved in, and allowed ND into the conference for all sports, other than football. That makes about as much sense as Radford joining the PAC 12.
The maddest I have ever been at a ball game, was several years ago, I was at ACC baseball tournament in Durham, NC and the ND baseball team walked into the stadium. I got up and walked out.

[thepostman]

I am sure that really hurt them

[cruzan_flame13]

I was just thinking if Texas would join since the Big 12 situation a year or two ago. Let West Virginia tag along as well Baylor, Okie State , Iowa State and Boise State. split the teams in division and wah lah! Everyone can continue with their own tv sponsorship and then create an Indy website that would stream these games (cable seems to be dying anyway). So basically the P5 type teams still have a valuable schedule and then those who are not P5 can improve (UMass may actually have donors and alumni putting more money in athletics with this plan). This sounds great writing it but of course it's just a though. Not such a far fetch thought though (at least with Indy forming a conference).

[richmondvareb]

Let me throw in one really wild trial balloon.

Back when the SEC expanded the last time, the SEC was putting out feelers for potential candidates to be added to the SEC. I didn't follow the discussions all that closely, but I definitely recall hearing that Va Tech and Virginia were approached. The theory was that the SEC needed to pick up some new strong markets to add to the ones they already had. Adding Virginia would have added the DC market, as well as Virginia of course. An added factor was that John Grisham is a big contributor to both Ole Miss and UVA and has a home in both locations. So there was that tie to UVA.

Bottom line is that I don't know how all that came out as far as how close any east coast teams came to being added to the SEC. Obviously no action was taken to add a VA team, but there was a lot of discussion at the time of needing more teams from the east coast (Miami and Florida State were other candidates I remember being mentioned as candidates--even Clemson and WVA if my hazy recollection is right). UGA, USC and Florida are of course east coast teams already in the SEC, so the thought was to add other east coast teams to the ones we already had which could bring in totally new TV markets (Miami, Florida State and Clemson did not really meet that test because Florida, UGA and USC were already inside the SEC).

I don't know when the next ESPN contract with the SEC will be considered for extension, but Liberty could potentially bring a huge TV market with their potential conservative Christian ties nationwide (a huge number if it were ever fully realized) along with the Virginia and possibly DC markets. [The last SEC expansion talks happened to generally coincide with the new ESPN contracts being negotiated at about the same time (if my memory is correct), and that is why the size of the conference television market was an essential factor in determining the amount of the ESPN contract.] Adding the Texas and St. Louis markets is how the deal finally ended (the SEC tried really hard to get OK to join the SEC West, but that did not go through for some reason).

Anyway, this is probably a wild balloon because the SEC also looks at size of stadiums and facilities among other things, so Liberty would have a long way to go although VANDY's stadium I believe only seats around 43,000 now that I think about it. Oh well, this is a much more complicated topic than this post can get into, but big things always start with big dreams.

[ballah09]

UCONN is strongly considering moving its football program Indy and moving its Basketball /other sports to the Big East so right there is 7. If Notre Dame is willing to share some of their big contract revenue I'm sure they can poach someone else to join.

[Sly Fox]

I will almost be surprised if UConn hasn't announced the Big East move in the next couple of months. The AAC lost nearly all of its valuable basketball properties since they joined and the impact on their mens hoops program has been significant. Meanwhile football is a dumpster fire in Storrs. Playing fellow New England schools in Amherst and West Point would be more attractive to their tiny football fanbase than games against Tulsa or Tulane. I fully expect them on our schedule sooner rather than later.

As for the Horns or SEC ...

[ballcoach15]

Barring a complete shake up of conferences, I still see Liberty in Big 12.

[Purple Haize]

I’m not convinced there is huge TV audience for LU football. I’m not married to that opinion but based on attendance I’m not seeing it. Although a good barometer would be the ESPN streaming etc numbers

[tyndal23]

Barring a complete shake up of conferences, I still see Liberty in Big 12.

I would really like to see a series with TCU, ( doubt we get Baylor series ever after the Ian deposition) but I think a concerted effort to play 1 home and 1away ( 2 total Big 12 games a season ) with Big 12 schools each year immediately would be a smart play. Bottom tier Big 12 will do 1 for 1 ( with $ incentive ) no problem ( $250k for LU to travel - $1.25 million for Big 12 team to come to LU type scenario ). TCU isn’t bottom tier but private and Christian and their schedule isn’t booked way out in the future ( according to FBS schedules online ) We should play P5 TX schools every chance we get in the near term.

[Cider Jim]

Barring a complete shake up of conferences, I still see Liberty in Big 12.

Ballcoach, your has turned hard.

[CCWMichael]

Indy conference is interesting. Would provide that big end game.
It would take pulling others in as said but the easy route for ND is to go ACC.
ND is like Texas and they love their own TV money .
That makes it tough to poach.
I know Texas fans want the A+M series back but I'm not sure Texas would go SEC --- TU loves it's own network.
I don't see an indy conferenc but then again I did not initially invest twenty dollars or so in that crazy Apple thing.

[Jonathan Carone]

Isn’t Indy as a conference sort of opposite of being independent?

[ballcoach15]

Isn’t Indy as a conference sort of opposite of being independent?

That has been my thinking all day, every time I look at this thread.

[cruzan_flame13]

Yes it will not be independent anymore if the schools become a conference.

[Ewglenn]

What if the Indy conference did this:

Allow ND and Texas to keep their revenue
Add Texas and UConn
Army keeps CBSN tie
LFSN produces all of the conferences remaining games and ESPN gets all the content

This allows the entire conference to get what they would want. Army, ND and Texas keep their contracts and all other schools get more air time.

[Purple Haize]

What if the Indy conference did this:

Allow ND and Texas to keep their revenue
Add Texas and UConn
Army keeps CBSN tie
LFSN produces all of the conferences remaining games and ESPN gets all the content

This allows the entire conference to get what they would want. Army, ND and Texas keep their contracts and all other schools get more air time.

What good does it do Texas and ND to play in that conference? Schedule wise

[Class of 20Something]

What if the Indy conference did this:

Allow ND and Texas to keep their revenue
Add Texas and UConn
Army keeps CBSN tie
LFSN produces all of the conferences remaining games and ESPN gets all the content

This allows the entire conference to get what they would want. Army, ND and Texas keep their contracts and all other schools get more air time.

What good does it do Texas and ND to play in that conference? Schedule wise

It gives ND a 13th Conference Title game nearly every year against whoever is best(Texas)

[Purple Haize]

What if the Indy conference did this:

Allow ND and Texas to keep their revenue
Add Texas and UConn
Army keeps CBSN tie
LFSN produces all of the conferences remaining games and ESPN gets all the content

This allows the entire conference to get what they would want. Army, ND and Texas keep their contracts and all other schools get more air time.

What good does it do Texas and ND to play in that conference? Schedule wise

It gives ND a 13th Conference Title game nearly every year against whoever is best(Texas)

What about the other 12 games?

[Class of 20Something]

Everyone still schedules as an independent.