College Football '10 - Conference switching chaos!!

[SlowwHand]

From where or what, does it matter? What matters is the bottom line, and ND isn't starving.

[Drake Tungsten]

Bringing Notre Dame into the fold would help bring the Big 10 Network into basic cable on more systems in the Midwest, so Notre Dame would more than earn its keep.

No. Notre Dame would have almost no effect on the Big Ten Network in its current footprint, as the Big Ten Network is already on basic cable in every Big Ten state and Notre Dame wouldn't add Indiana to the fold. What Notre Dame might be able to do for the Big Ten Network is make it attractive enough to be put onto basic cable in areas outside of the Midwest (like New York). This would be attractive to the Big Ten (although not as attractive as you might think, given that the "tax" the Big Ten Network gets from basic cable subscribers in states outside of the Big Ten footprint is significantly reduced), but it's also questionable as to whether Notre Dame can actually deliver this. The Subway Alumni aren't nearly as numerous as they used to be, as NBC has learned.

HOWEVER, the TV money is small potatoes for Notre Dame

God, I hope the higher-ups at Notre Dame are really stupid enough to believe this. Please, please listen to your alumni!

[Imran Siddiqui]

The whole "ND is national and being in the Big 10 would hurt that" is an argument that baffles me. Are you saying that Ohio State and Michigan are simply regional schools and don't recruit or get money from all over the country?!

[DanS]

No. But it's obvious that OSU (and to a lesser extent Michigan) is much more locally-focused than ND. As an example, this year, the majority of OSU's recruits are from Ohio, while only about a third of ND's recruits were from the Midwest. Last year, ND had only 4 recruits from the Midwest.

[Imran Siddiqui]

It's mostly because the state of Ohio does have a good deal of high school football talent. Yes Ohio State is a state school, but a school like, say, University of Southern California isn't and they are locked into a conference and recruit pretty well from all areas of the country. A school like the University of Miami in the late 90s were locked into a conference and recruited very well from all around. They may have focused on South Florida, but the high school football talent there is immense.

You don't lose nation wide recruiting when you are in a conference.

[DanS]

Your examples don't support your theory. 14 of 20 USC recruits are from California this year.

[SlowwHand]

Any state school is primarily regional.

[DanS]

By definition.

[SlowwHand]

Notre Dame isn't a state school, as you already noted. I was disagreeing with Imran.

[DanS]

I came to realize that. And then cross-edited you.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Your examples don't support your theory. 14 of 20 USC recruits are from California this year.

My point is ND's national recruiting is by choice because they are located in Indiana. Southern Cal recuits a lot of California recruits for obvious reasons, but have had mega-star recruits from states like New Jersey and Florida in the past. The fact that they are in a conference doesn't limit them. Southern Cal happens to be in a very, very, very talent rich state. But they can easily attract players from all over the country.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Any state school is primarily regional.

The vast majority of schools choose to be more regional, especially if located in talent rich states. Schools with great histories are not limited to a solely regional focus, however, and can be in the running for any 5 star recruit they wish (well, with the obvious caveat if the player doesn't like cold weather, etc, etc).

[DanS]

Your theory is confused, counseler. It's just plain obvious that Notre Dame is much more of a national school than most of the Big 10 and that this fact would have ramifications on where the school sees its interests lie. I'm mystified why you are fighting this.

As another example (as if this point needs to be belabored), about 60% of ND students come from outside the Big 10 Network's footprint, while about 90% of OSU students come from the state of Ohio.

[DanS]

No. Notre Dame would have almost no effect on the Big Ten Network in its current footprint, as the Big Ten Network is already on basic cable in every Big Ten state and Notre Dame wouldn't add Indiana to the fold.

AFAIK, on a few (most? all?) cable systems, it's on expanded basic. A move to basic would mean more money for the Big 10 Network.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Your theory is confused, counseler. It's just plain obvious that Notre Dame is much more of a national school than most of the Big 10 and that this fact would have ramifications on where the school sees its interests lie. I'm mystified why you are fighting this.

As another example (as if this point needs to be belabored), about 60% of ND students come from outside the Big 10 Network's footprint, while about 90% of OSU students come from the state of Ohio.

I'm fighting it because its a dumb reason not to join a conference. Plenty of other schools are national in outlook (maybe not to the extent that ND is because Indiana sucks for high school football) while in conferences.