If realignment is done for now because most every BCS conference has a television agreement that runs through at least 2013-14 - that’s you Big East - then there’s little more to do at this point except get to know the new members in your league (Pac-10, Big Ten, Mountain West) or how to cope without the departed ones (Big 12).
But if the Big 12 decided to truly get back to its name and add two teams, so it could have a championship game once again, don’t be surprised if the names Arkansas and Notre Dame are the only schools on the wish list. No matter how many years down the road that may be …
Not because there’s speculation Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a prominent Arkansas alum, would like to add those schools to the Big 12 so he has a championship game to fill his new stadium in 2011, 2012 and 2013 (when the Big 12 title game will cease to exist because the league has only 10 members).
But because no matter how many denials you hear from Arkansas about possibly hooking back up with its Southwest Conference roots, there IS interest among certain key Razorback power brokers in making it happen.
And the only way Arkansas feels good about leaving the SEC is if the 12th team added to the Big 12 is Notre Dame. Before you spit out your coffee at the thought of the Irish somehow leaving the comfort of their NBC deal through 2015, remember that NBC could drop Notre Dame if the football doesn’t improve.
The ratings numbers from the Charlie Weis Era weren’t pretty, often bringing less than a 2 percent ratings share in its time slot. Under Brian Kelly, that shouldn’t be a problem for the Irish. But low ratings will cause any network to rethink its strategy. And according to multiple sources, Texas and Notre Dame had several conversations during realignment about what life would be like if the two were in the same conference.
So why would Notre Dame suddenly be interested in the Big 12 as opposed to the Big Ten, where Jim Delany and the Irish have been acting like Sam and Diane from Cheers and have everyone wondering if they will ever get it on?
One major point of contention for Notre Dame is how much ND savors its independence, and there’s nothing more stifling for an independent thinker than a conference network. In the Big Ten, everyone turns their rights over to the league so that Northwestern can make the same amount off the Irish’s storied tradition as Ohio State makes. It is a MAJOR obstacle for Notre Dame to ever get over with the Big Ten.
So here are five reasons Notre Dame would consider the Big 12 over the Big Ten if realignment and the thought of super conferences ever reared their heads again and the Irish needed to find safe ground:
1) Notre Dame could start its own network in the Big 12, essentially building itself up to earn whatever the free market would allow. Yes, Notre Dame does this now, in essence, with its NBC contract. But if the Fighting Irish worried that super conferences were about to be formed and ND would be left out, you have to think of what option gives you the most freedom.
A conference network does not give you freedom. It gives you money. But it does not give you freedom.
2) Recruiting. The first step in building a top program is hiring the right coach. Ask Texas, Florida and Oklahoma. Brian Kelly seems like a great hire. But Brian Kelly will now tell you the key to his success will be recruiting. Kelly told Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com as realignment appeared to be winding down that he didn’t care for the Big Ten’s recruiting footprint.
"I don't want to be in a Big Ten footprint for recruiting,” Kelly told Feldman. “I worry about that. I know if we can recruit coast to coast as an independent, I have a better chance of getting the kinds of guys that we need to get here to succeed and still beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. That's the key here -- still beat Alabama or whoever is the national champion."
Geoff Ketchum, recruiting guru at Orangebloods.com, says Notre Dame hasn’t beaten Texas head-to-head on a kid from the Lone Star State in 10 years. If Kelly and the Irish want that to change, Notre Dame would look to expand its recruiting to areas where it is struggling (Texas), not areas where it already dominates (the Midwest).
3) Proximity. Everyone looks at the Big Ten and says that’s the natural fit for Notre Dame because South Bend, Ind., is right in the heart of Big Ten country. But if Notre Dame were to find itself in the Big 12 North, it would be geographically compatible with Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and, potentially, Arkansas. Obviously, Arkansas would be the longest road trip for the Irish, but it would be no longer than a trip to Penn State if the Irish joined the Big Ten.
4) Relationships. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick was a finalist for the Big 12 commissioner’s job that went to Dan Beebe. Swarbrick knows all the presidents and chancellors in the Big 12 and has a trusted relationship with Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds.
Dodds has served as a mentor to Swarbrick since he took over as athletic director at Notre Dame in June 2008. These are important relationships that can’t be overlooked.
5) History/tradition. Notre Dame has rivalries with schools like Michigan, USC and Navy. But it also has a rich history with Texas. Notre Dame won a national title in 1977 at the expense of Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and Texas beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to clinch the 1969 national title. The two programs are in the top three in all-time victories and all-time winning percentage with Michigan.
Also, if Notre Dame wanted to continue rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, USC and Navy as a member of the Big 12, it could in its non-conference games because the Big 12 would likely return to an 8-game conference schedule with two divisions.
For now, sources across the league seem to be united in the idea the Big 12 will not be adding any schools for at least seven years - when their agreements with current TV partners ABC/ESPN and Fox Sports Net will expire.
But if realignment were to resurface before that, perhaps driven by another conference, file the names Arkansas and Notre Dame in the back of your mind when you think of the Big 12.
