Indeed. Things are shaping up nicely for ND
The announcement of the ACC Network deal could have been combined with an announcement that ND football was joining and someone like UConn was joining as #16.
That could have been the leverage the ACC and ESPN needed to fully capture ND.
(Maybe ND just said no)
What happened instead? The network announcement came without ND being leveraged, pressured or shoehorned into the football conference.
Instead.....the ACC and ND merely extended the existing deal (without ND football membership) out from 2027 until 2036.
That freezes and locks in the current partial membership status of ND for the next 20 years.
There is a 20 year contract now in place that specifically states that ND football is not required to join the ACC.
ND now has a stable, unpoachable home for its other sports----with a conference network for exposure and perhaps some cash, to boot----all without any additional commitment required of its football program.
This eliminated two of three "pressure points" that could have leveraged or "forced" ND football into the ACC:
1) No ACC Network without full ND involvement.....nope.
2) The ACC may be poached unless ND football joins to "save" it.... or ND loses the ACC as a partial membership home.........nope.
3) A P4 conference champs only playoff model is established (in ten years when the contract expires?)....TBD (but doubtful in my mind).
Then, this Big 12 expansion announcement hit and the conference is looking to add 2-4 schools.
I am rooting for this and a 20 year GOR so that the Big 12 survives and so that 4x16 and conference champs only playoff ideas die forever.
So......it was a good day (a very good day) from an ND fan's point of view...
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In response to this post by goldendomer)
Posted: 07/20/2016 at 08:17AM