.I believe is the non-starter. It doesn't really matter if scheduling and/or NBC is retained.

ND football has been an independent for 128 years. Its football program has never been in a conference, ever.

Conference championships in football do not resonate with ND because, well, it never has been a factor, goal or issue for 128 years.

ND has built up its "brand" as a national independent. It does want to give up that brand, that now unique status.

But, it It goes beyond football.

ND sees itself as the national, Catholic university. It recruits both football players and regular students nationally.

It sees the football team as the marketing arm of the university.

That is one big reason for all of the Shamrock Series games in San Antonio, Boston, etc

ND thinks that putting its football program in a conference minimizes and dilutes its brand and its status as the national, Catholic university.

That is why only getting legally shut out of the playoffs totally (as opposed to an uphill climb to make it once in a while) is the only thing that will cause a change of thinking.

People outside of ND may disagree with this line of thought but people outside of ND do not count regarding this decision.

ND administrators, boosters, donors, alumni and most fans strongly think this way. They are the ones making this decision.

That is why all of these various attempts and discussions over the past 20 or so years to "nudge" ND (Big Ten Network $$$, Big East and ACC membership, keeping the NBC deal, bring in Navy into a football conference, etc.) into a football conference have failed to date.

[Post edited by TerryD at 05/16/2016 3:30PM]