I've been a defender of the ACC for the most part over the past couple of years (and I've been criticized by many of my Big Ten brethren when I've done so), but the hubris that I've been seeing from many ACC fans lately is laughable. They're doing the same thing that the delusional Big 12 fans did last year (when they were dreaming of poaching Florida State and Clemson), only now it's about Notre Dame joining as a full member. Both the ACC and Big 12 fans have mistaken *survival* (as a result of key schools like UNC and Texas choosing to stay where they are) for strength (which only the Big Ten and SEC really have by comparison, while the Pac-12 is protected by geography). When you lose schools to other conferences, you have some type of underlying problem. Period. No revisionist history about what the value of Maryland might be or how the newcomers will supposedly be stronger changes that. Maybe the problem isn't quite as severe across the board (I think the Big 12 is a heck of a lot more vulnerable long-term than the ACC, for instance), but there are definitely issues if that occurs.
At the same time, the suggestion that the Big Ten offered Notre Dame hockey membership is patently, 110%, completely and unambiguously FALSE. The Big Ten (unlike the ACC) hasn't offered Notre Dame any type of partial membership at any level and NEVER will. Even in the message board world, I don't see many outright lies that often, but the thought that ND could have ever joined the Big Ten for hockey without joining for football and all other sports is absolutely a lie.
This lie doesn't even make sense for the conspiracy theorists/rumor mongers out there. The Big Ten had 5 hockey playing schools for decades upon decades when inviting 1 other hockey-playing school (whether it was ND or someone else) would have allowed it to form a hockey league. *That* would have been the time for the Big Ten to invite ND for hockey. However, the Big Ten chose to wait decades upon decades and didn't form a league until another full member (Penn State) created a hockey program. So, why the heck would the Big Ten suddenly want to invite ND (or anyone else) *now*? That makes no sense.
To be sure, I don't blame the ACC for granting ND a partial membership. In fact, it will likely work out fine for both parties. Getting ND to play 5 ACC opponents per year (assuming they live up to that bargain) honestly isn't a bad deal. However, do NOT mistake this partial membership as any indication whatsoever that ND is going to join as a full member down the road. ND did this because they would take a partial membership *anywhere* before choosing to join a conference as a football member. If the ACC wanted to push ND, the Irish would just propose the same partial membership arrangement with the Big 12 (who has already offered it) or, worst case, go back and play basketball with its old Catholic buddies in the new Big East and keep on trucking along with football independence. I know it still sounds crazy to 99% of college football fans, but independence in and of itself is what matters to Domers - it can't be emphasized enough how important that is (and with the Big 12 and Big East sitting there as non-football options, their alums will not accept the notion that there aren't alternatives to joining the ACC full-time).
Any ACC fan that believes that ND would join as a football member would probably also believe that the ACC could reverse-raid the Big Ten, and anyone that believes that has to be automatically discounted as having any understanding of the overall conference realignment landscape and pecking order.
