Swarbick says "stability of new big east allows ND football to remain independent"

[Kevin Caliendo]

Lovely. and Herbst was quoted by AP as saying she is not talking to any other conferences.

man, this whole situation sucks

 

[freescooter]

As to Swarbrick, Duh!
As far as Herbst's comments, that was about all she could have said. Don't read any more into it than that.

 

[Fishy]

Well, thank God this all worked out for Notre Dame.

I was really worried about those kids for a while.

 

[06029]

Lovely. and Herbst was quoted by AP as saying she is not talking to any other conferences.

man, this whole situation sucks

That is ND's game plan and when allowed to chair expansion for FB in the BE, they achieved what they wanted, for now. The next move for ND will be to keep their special BCS status and deal when the next round happens.

As far as Herbst, should she say "This sucks for Uconn and we are looking to leave right now so please call us today" even if that is what she is really thinking?

Jeff Jacobs actually got it right today. This is one giant band aid for the BE. You can put a lot of whip cream, toppings and a cherry on top, but it is basically a turd sundae. But it is still a sundae and better than the independent alternative or the 5 team league alternative.

I can hardly wait for the year when Uconn or Rutgers or USF have to make two trips in a season to play Boise/SDSU and some TX team and the trips are two weeks apart. Or even better, play one on a Wednesday/Friday night and then play the next one the following Saturday. Talk about a competitive disadvantage. Or in BB the season they need to make 2 trips to TX in February sandwiched around a trip to Marquette or DePaul. Scheduling just became a whole lot harder for everyone.

 

[Revrat]

That shouldn't be a surprise. All it means is that if anyone else wants Notre Dame they are going to work a bit harder to kill the Big East. While the other big leagues wanted Notre Dame I think the opinion was that enough had been done. I don't think anyone saw the Big East-West coming. Whether the league is viable or not I don't know but someone will have to step up and grab one of the remaining old Big East schools or two to finish off the job.

 

[businesslawyer]

Swarbick's statement is meaningless. He is negotiating the best deal he can to see the terms on which ND can join a conference. If he says "man, this sucks for us," he has no leverage.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Swarbick's statement is meaningless. He is negotiating the best deal he can to see the terms on which ND can join a conference. If he says "man, this sucks for us," he has no leverage.

If a playoff comes, ND is never joining a conference. I think that looks much better than 50/50 within 10 years. Swarbick is just biding time.

Conferences are essentially scheduling and TV co-ops. The postseason will change significantly in the next few years so conference affiliation will matter less and less for that.

 

[Fishy]

Yup.

There's no reason for Notre Dame to join a conference now. I think there will be less reason in the future.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Hasn't everyone learned by now not to read ANYTHING into any of the generic platitde-filled statements these presidents give in the media? They're not designed to say anything that's actually happening, or what they're actually planning, nor will they ever say any of that.

I actually don't believe a playoff ensures ND's independence. It would all depend on how that playoff is structured, and what the status of the BCS is at that point. For all we know, there may very well be major changes in how the BCS is calculated. And one thing that's true is the computer rankings don't care one bit about who ND is, so they don't get any unwarranted boost in the polls from the computers because of who they are.

I can see a push in the future to completely reorganizing the human voting structure, since it's clear coaches don't really pay much mind to voting, and it's completely biased anyways. If they went to a computer ranking system where the formulas were all public and open to scrutiny, and they ditched the coaches voting, this would not favor ND at all in terms of admittance to this playoff, they need the humans to be impressed by their name.

And their move to a conference would be just as predicated upon how much money they can make from TV.

 

[MattMang23]

I'm excited. Can't wait to stay up late on a Wednesday night in anticipation of that 11pm UConn @ SDSU kickoff.

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

the BCS AQ will be gone in 2014. The bolws will go about setting up deals with conferences like they did in the past. how ND fits in I don't know. I am guessing they will not be part of the Big East bowl agreement since the Big East bowls will be even worse in 2014+ than they are now.

 

[Stinger92860]

Well, thank God this all worked out for Notre Dame.

I was really worried about those kids for a while.

On behalf of ND, God says thanks!!!

 

[freescooter]

If a playoff comes, ND is never joining a conference. I think that looks much better than 50/50 within 10 years. Swarbick is just biding time.

Conferences are essentially scheduling and TV co-ops. The postseason will change significantly in the next few years so conference affiliation will matter less and less for that.

That has characterized the Big East basketball league for a while now. It is a scheduling alliance with a made for tv post season tourney. Football seems to be heading in the same direction. 16 team conferences with a made for tv post season game. Don't be too surprized if within a few years you see the RotoRooter- SEC playoffs, with 4 teams playing in 1st round games then the winners meeting in the league championship game a week later.

 

[SAMCRO]

...and Herbst was quoted by AP as saying she is not talking to any other conferences....

Which in conference expansion code means UConn is about to accept an offer to join a different conference. Right? That's how it work, I think. I mean.... it must mean that, right?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Which in conference expansion code means UConn is about to accept an offer to join a different conference. Right? That's how it work, I think. I mean.... it must mean that, right?

I'll say an extra prayer in hope that it is so.

 

[uconNYC]

That's why some of us were hoping the BE Football Conference would dissolve (by UL and UC going to the Big12). It would force ND to choose between B1G (+Rutgers) and ACC (+UConn). If they went with B1G - we'd be in a difficult spot, but I think there would have been lots of media outcry for the ACC to pick us up. Kind of like how the A10 took the remaining CUSA basketball schools (Charlotte and St. Louis) when DP, MU, UL and UC joined the Big East.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

That's why some of us were hoping the BE Football Conference would dissolve (by UL and UC going to the Big12). It would force ND to choose between B1G (+Rutgers) and ACC (+UConn). If they went with B1G - we'd be in a difficult spot, but I think there would have been lots of media outcry for the ACC to pick us up. Kind of like how the A10 took the remaining CUSA basketball schools (Charlotte and St. Louis) when DP, MU, UL and UC joined the Big East.

LOL. I'm sure the ACC will cede to the demands of the Hartford Courant and The Boneyard.

 

[uconnfan68]

Scheduling just became a whole lot harder for everyone.

Yes and no. Most of the new schools are in MAJOR markets. Easy to reach. It's not going to VaTech (or Storrs ;^))

 

[06029]

Yes and no. Most of the new schools are in MAJOR markets. Easy to reach. It's not going to VaTech (or Storrs ;^))

There are only non-stop flights from Hartford or Providence to Dallas and that is on a bankrupt airline. Houston is a 1 stop minimum, same with SDSU and Boise is a 2 stop flight. Does the FB team fly charter to most away games? I would think so but I am pretty sure I have been on planes with the BB team. And no matter how you slice it, those are 6 to 8 hour flights. Travel beyond the central time zone for business always consists of at least 1 additional day for me. You might get there for lunch but the flight back always gets you back late the next day. Of course, I am now old enough and in enough control of my business travel that I do not do red eyes on a regular basis anymore.

 

[kibblesnbits]

The new all sports schools are easy to reach. Orlando is served by non- stops from everywhere in the Big East. Dallas is almost as easy (AA isn't going away - they are going through bankruptcy because they were healthier and didn't do so when everyone else did). Houston is a non- stop for most of the league and one stop for the rest. For most teams the issue with the new schools (versus traveling to those major transportation centers Pittsburgh, Morgantown and Syracuse) is going to be dollars, not time.

With RDU no longer a hub airport, and places like Charlottesville, Blacksburg and Tallahassee well off the beaten path, does anyone think the ACC will be better for travel?

 

[06029]

With RDU no longer a hub airport, and places like Charlottesville, Blacksburg and Tallahassee well off the beaten path, does anyone think the ACC will be better for travel?

Are you serious? Maybe easy to get to in terms of major hub status, but time wise going to Houston and Dallas, let alone SD and Boise, is one heck of a lot longer than going to any ACC location. At least in the ACC, the non-revenue sports could grab 2 or 3 games in the same general area on one trip. Not happening in the expanded BE except for the UCF/USF potential combo. For BB. especially men's BB and the way the BE schedules marquee matchups, no way they ever get an easy trip combo to say TX or FL for 2 league games. Sorry, travel has not become easier for the BE no matter how you spin it.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Are you serious? Maybe easy to get to in terms of major hub status, but time wise going to Houston and Dallas, let alone SD and Boise, is one heck of a lot longer than going to any ACC location. At least in the ACC, the non-revenue sports could grab 2 or 3 games in the same general area on one trip. Not happening in the expanded BE except for the UCF/USF potential combo. For BB. especially men's BB and the way the BE schedules marquee matchups, no way they ever get an easy trip combo to say TX or FL for 2 league games. Sorry, travel has not become easier for the BE no matter how you spin it.

Yes I'm serious and it's not spin if you know how to read an airline schedule. DFW is a 4 hour or less flight non-stop from the entire Big East. Houston is the same except for, unfortunately, UConn and Providence, since we don't have direct Continental service there (but NYC, Philly, DC, Chicago, Tampa, Milwaukee, Louisville and Cincinnati do have non-stops). You can also get between Dallas and Houston in an hour on about 20 Southwest flights per day, essentially a bus schedule with wings, so it's very easy to play both in the same trip. In fact, I'd expect the schedules for most sports to be worked out so teams have one two-game trip to SMU/UH or USF/UCF, but not both, each year. Of course that doesn't compare to the thrill of a bus trip to Morgantown or flying an over-sized crop duster (yes, I'm exaggerating as it would probably be an RJ) into Tallahassee.

As for Boise and SDSU, how many times does it have to be repeated - that's football only. At most once per year (more likely once every other year if we ramp up to 12 teams) the football team will have to go out to the Pacific Time Zone (oops...Boise is MT). Transcontinental OOC games are hardly unprecedented. In this case it will just be a league game instead.

Regarding the marquee matchups issue, it's really a non-issue unless both of the regional partners (e.g. UH and SMU or USF and UCF) are marquee teams such that both games need to fit into prime national broadcast slots. Otherwise, the men's BB team could play SMU (hardly a marquee basketball name) on Saturday and UH on Big Monday. That would be it for traveling to Texas or Florida for the season.

 

[06029]

Yes I'm serious and it's not spin if you know how to read an airline schedule.

I spent 9 years of my life flying to Dallas and Houston at least twice a month. None of the 4 available airports are great although Hobby and Love seem more efficient than DFW and IAH. The on time performance at most TX airports are awful. It is a hell of lot more travel than it is to any ACC city. But I guess since people already are used to the 4+ hours to ND, Marquette and DePaul, they are used to it. As I posted at some point, there will be year when Uconn or RU or Providence will have a BB schedule over a two week period that will include a trip to Marquette, back home for a game, out to Houston, back home for a game and out to SMU for a game. And with a little luck it can be in the middle of mid-terms. And then people can post why does the team look so sluggish tonight?

 

[Jimdish255]

Pretty sure Herbst isn't in the mood for any more kissing up to the same perpetrators that tore up the conference in the first place, and I don't blame her. She wasn't here for any of the incompetence and doubledealing that led up to this, but did her best to keep the lines of communication open and find a spot for our teams and academics. For now we can concentrate on what we have moving forward. Our line is open and if you're interested give us a call. Until then maybe we can give it a rest and stop tearing down our own leadership for other people's deceit.

 

[metsfan2323]

I spent 9 years of my life flying to Dallas and Houston at least twice a month. None of the 4 available airports are great although Hobby and Love seem more efficient than DFW and IAH. The on time performance at most TX airports are awful. It is a hell of lot more travel than it is to any ACC city. But I guess since people already are used to the 4+ hours to ND, Marquette and DePaul, they are used to it. As I posted at some point, there will be year when Uconn or RU or Providence will have a BB schedule over a two week period that will include a trip to Marquette, back home for a game, out to Houston, back home for a game and out to SMU for a game. And with a little luck it can be in the middle of mid-terms. And then people can post why does the team look so sluggish tonight?

A flight to Houston is probably no more tiring than a bus ride to Syracuse or a train ride to Philly. Any time spent worrying about the travel distance of the new conference is a waste of time.