Frank the Tank is staying on top of the Expansion Story and $warbuck$ has come out with a comment that (and I'm paraphrasing here) , "It may be necessary for the Notre Dame (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) to look at conference affiliation if the BCS landscape changes dramatically."
Hmmmmmmm......Does this mean that the Domers are finally, FINALLY waking up to the fact that the football team, when it comes back to national prominence, will be hard pressed to get to a National Title Game, EVEN IF THEY ARE UNDEFEATED if there are two (or more) 1 loss BCS Conference Champions that win their Conference Championship game and they will most likely be selected over the Domers??? Could be....I mean, let's face it: A Pac 10 with 1 loss, Florida (or other SEC Champ), and the Big 10 all with 1 loss...Would you really want to take the Domers out of that group and see them play one of those teams when the Domer's dossier will have questionable victories all over it? Me either....And in reality, between the SEC, Big 12, PAC 10 and ACC, chances are that two teams emerge perfect is becoming more of a reality all the time. 2009 Texas and Alabama are perfect examples. Domers could have gone undefeated and been on the outside looking in.
But what it really comes down to is the dough. The Domers receive a paltry sum for playing basketball in the Big East. That is really irrelevant at this point. NBC (I'm guessing) has seen advertising revenue dry up. And advertising on the Domers when they're losing is probably getting tougher to sell - check that - IT HAS TO BE getting tougher to sell... If NBC is already in pre-discussions on the next contract with the Domers and $warbuck$ has gotten wind that they are going to try to reduce the $ offered per game in the contract, well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Big 10 is a great move financially for them. (Not to mention that NBC may be looking at ways to air some other conference and get a new contract themselves and feel limited by the Domers exclusivity?) And my other guess is that $warbuck$ threw the above public statement out there to see if the Super Rich Alumni would be supportive of the Big 10 move or if they would insist on keeping the Domer Independence by coughing up more money in private donations. And when you look at the current economy, it's my guess that the Domer Super Rich don't have a lot of extra money they need to be throwing at their alma mater for the tax write off at this point. So, $warbuck$ can do some bar napkin math with the president of Notre Dame and show that even if things in the economy improve dramatically over the next 5 years, the Big 10 presents a really big security blanket. And if they don't grab it, well, that blanket may get pulled away and be entirely gone for any future potential expansion. So let's summarize $warbuck$ worry beads:
1. NCAA Football Play-offs – They aren’t going to happen – not in anyone who is posting here’s lifetime. Accept it. This would be the one solution where an "independent" might get the 8th spot and the Domers could have an undefeated season and still have a shot at the title. Without a playoff, Domers are out in the cold. $warbuck$ and everyone else can see that writing on the wall.
2. The “Mythical” National Champion will be decided by two teams that come from a BCS conference, and the chances improve if those teams also play in a conference Championship Game (and win, of course. See 2007 LSU). Daddy $warbuck$ sees that writing on the wall, also.
3. The Domer Nation’s thirst to be back in the title hunt if Kelly is the answer (That remains to be seen) will not be quenched if they go undefeated and are sitting on the outside looking in because of Strength of Schedule and voter sentiment. (I think $warbuck$ is a realist here, too.)
4. All of those reasons and the fact that multiple Big 12 schools will jump at the chance to complete the Big 10 (not to mention that any BEast school in it’s right mind would bolt) makes $warbuck$ very uneasy.
5. NBC is trying to “push” the VS Network and may have already leaked the information to the Domers that they want to put the “low draw” or non-marquise match-ups on VS in the future, making that a more marketable network to more cable providers, hence more NBC revenue. $warbuck$ knows the backlash from the general Domer nation will be loud and vocal if they suddenly can't find Notre Dame on the Notre Dame Network and they don't have VS.
6. $warbuck$ doesn’t need to look any further than PSU as to how a good program can benefit from joining a good or great conference. And that should be evidence enough to anyone making this decision that it's the right thing to do.
All that being said, Texas isn’t a dummy and is probably discovering the overall benefits of joining the Big 10(NOT JUST ATHLETICS) far outweigh any reasons to stay in and keep the Big 12 intact.
And that, that REALLY is what is making $warbuck$ and others inside the Golden Dome very nervous. Yes, friends, the inevitable may finally be happening and the Domer Armor and false air of superiority may finally be cracking and the air is starting to stink. And they are smelling the Roses that the Big 10 has to offer....
Hee-hee...I will enjoy the day when it happens.
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