I think we all know the answer but will when they officially announce that they will most likely return to their independednt status for the 2021 season. The reason i ask is because in the past the ACC would announce their schedule around the third week in January so i hope the powers to be have been informed so they can release a schedule with hopes that by the fall we can have a more normal season as compared to this season in terms of scheduling. I expect that if they dont the league will return to the concept of two divisions and a eight game league schedule .
Notre Dame
- Thread starter poconopanther
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The contract that was signed to allow them in the ACC last season most likely spells out the end of the contract with the end of the season.
I don't think an announcement is forthcoming. It is already pretty well understood that this was a one year deal.
It will definitely hurt their chances when they have to go back to playing some good teams instead of a bunch of ACC stiffs not named Clemson.
It will certainly limit their chances. Because when everyone goes back to a full slate of games that means ND will have played only 12 games. The conference champion of the other 5 P5 conferences will have played 13 games as a result of playing in their respective conference championship games.
ND will pretty much have to win them all to beat out any team playing and winning an extra game. And when those other 5 are winning a CCG, they will generally be beating a relatively highly regarded opponent.
It’s ND’s choice and prerogative. So it’ll be up to them. But their path to the CFP by getting a chance to play in the ACCCG this year was a distinct advantage and opportunity for them.
Why would playing one less game matter, osu played 4 less games and will be playing for the NC Monday.
They won their conference championship, for one thing; for another, this season was unique due to COVID.
This year is an anomaly in case you hadn’t noticed. And even then it took some fancy footwork by the B1G top brass to get tOSU in.
Ask Indiana about their feelings on that. And why the Hoosiers took the B1G conference patch off their uniforms. Think it might’ve been a protest?
In the last 14 years counting this year per the Sagrin Ratings Notre Dame played a top 20 strength of schedule twice. By way of comparison, that is exactly the same number of top 20 SOS that Pitt has had over the last 14 years. Or if you prefer, the exact same number that Clemson has had over the last 14 years. Or, if you prefer, two less than Florida State has had.
I mean it's 2020. Do we really still have to pretend that Notre Dame plays a superior schedule every season?
It’s more fun for some Pitt “fans” to post snarky comments.
It's as simple as ND brings more money to the CFP then 95% of the other colleges out there. So the choice is a 1 ND or 1 lose 5% team ND will be left out. If it is a 1 lose ND team vs a 1 lose 95% team, ND is in even without a conference championship.
Huh? What college football makes from the CFP is determined by contract with the TV Networks who submit the best bid for the right to televise the games. So that’s known in advance. Regardless of the teams in the CFP.
Yes, and if you don't think the people who won those bids have no say, I don't know what to say to you. The advertisers want the marquee teams with huge followings and ND fits that bill. If it comes down to 11-1 ND vs 12-1 any school outside 7-10 schools, those advertisers are calling the CFP and saying "ND better be one of the 4"
I don't agree with your conspiracy theory.
ND can do what they choose as I said earlier. But as an indy their path to the CFP will be more difficult. That may not matter so much to them as other things. Up to them.
I think the two of you are talking past each other. You are both right. The tv rights have been agreed the risk is held by the network. The network wants to sale ads at the highest possible price. The X factor regarding ND is if they keep getting blown out in these games their value will keep going down.
I think ND is a bunch of snobs when it comes to football. I think they truly believe they are someone special.
Since you’re a Sagarin guy:
There are 9 P5 divisions. Saggy has the ACC ranked 8 and 9 this year. Interestingly the Coastal wasn’t last this year-it was second to last. ND strength of schedule was 56 this year. 37 last year. 31 the year before that. 2 the year before that.
The CFP is a “Big Event”. IMO, selling ad spots for the CFP is about the same as selling ad spots for the NCAAT. Or the Super Bowl. Not difficult at all.
Sure. My discussion is around their path to future CFP’s., depending on whether they remain an indy vs joining the ACC in FB.
It’s up to them to evaluate and determine what’s best for themselves. They’ll set their own priorities.
I agree with you. I think NBC May chime in at some point.
ND proved just as inept in ACC title game as any Coastal champ in recent years.
It would help ND if they could stop getting blown out every time they make the CFP.
Or in other words, they typically play decent schedules but generally not one of the hardest. Or particularly close to it.
Agree! They can't hang with the big boys, they are just pretenders. They know they can't compete for the CFP. They will simply go back and cozy up to there NBC tv contract and settle on the money. Why stay in a place where you can gain eligibility to the CFP when you can't be remotely competitive if you get there?
Or in other words, this year’s ACC conference schedule is the weakest they’ve had in at least the past 8 years that I looked at , by far, and most likely ever.
And boy does Sagarin not think much of the ACC, especially the Coastal, year after year.
If IU had actually won their bowl game I might have been slightly persuaded. But they didn’t win and I’m not persuaded.
As for ND, they did not do themselves any favors by getting waxed by Clemson who got waxed by Ohio State.
Any loss in the regular season will likely rule them out of a 4 team playoff.
The last sentence of your post is the relevant one to me. I honestly couldn't care less about IU (or any other B1G program) or their dissatisfaction with the B1G over rescinding their own rules to allow tOSU to be considered as eligible to be selected for the CFP.
The point of my posts in this thread is that ND will have a MUCH more difficult time getting selected to the CFP being an indy rather than in the ACC. If for no other reason than they’ll have no opportunity to play a 13th game in a CCG like the other P5 conference champions they’ll potentially be competing against for spots.
Sure, that is why ND just beat out LSU for defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and agreed to pay a coordinator more than $2.5 million a year for four years.
They are doing this because they don't want to compete for the playoffs, absolutely.......
BTW, an independent ND made the playoffs in 2018 and a conference member ND made the playoffs in 2020.
ND knows as an independent, it has to go 12-0 most years to make it. That is okay with them.
P.S. ND can't beat Alabama and Clemson, but it went 43-8 the past four years, with two playoff berths.
If ND is a "pretender", what are about 125 other FBS programs with a worse track record?
ND is a winning program and yes they made the playoffs but here in the catch they have a horrible record in NY 6 games the last 8. They have a bad record the last five years against top tier teams. At some point beating Purdue doesn’t matter anymore. And so what they are paying a DC an outrageous sum of money they still at some point have to beat a CFP team to be considered in their class. If that DC can’t get in the defensive players he needs to compete it doesn’t matter how much money they are paying him. Quite frankly if I was Kelly I would be padding the palms of the admission department.
This is why Notre Dame should never be in a NY6, Playoff game again
This is embarrassing for Notre Dame.
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Unfortunately they are special. That’s why the ACC treats them the way they do. Isn’t that pretty obvious 🤷🏽♀️
The Pitt football game for me was watching Tony run for over 303 and I think he had another 70 in receiving. I could be completely wrong and I was young when Pitt had those teams but I believe Majors found it more important to beat ND then any other team. They were special imho they draw for a regular season game but when it comes the the CFP I don’t think they are. Btw I really dislike ND so my opinion is slanted.
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Wrong! They were special. They have not been special since 1988, the year Lou Holtz left the program.
Can't believe you haven't figured it out by now. Most all teams are pretenders. There are only 2 to 3 teams that can win the CFP year to year. ND aint one of them. So they win double digit games once in a while. Not only can they not beat Bama and Clemson or Ohio st., they can't even compete on that level. The ghosts of Knute Rockne and Joe Montana aren't coming back for any national title runs.
Their TV contract does allow them to throw money around and try to buy the best coaches and recruit better. Since 1988, they have failed to get to the top, so what they are doing is not getting them there. I hope they get even worse because I am tired of watching them get humiliated in every game they play against the big boys.
In fact, I hope at some point they would get so bad that no P5 conference would want them. Probably won't happen, but, boy would I love to see them as a struggling independent that nobody would want. Even if that doesn't happen, they are a program that has seen their best days pass. There just aren't that many little boys that want to grow up and play for ND anymore.
