FIGHTING IRISH 101

Conference realignment makes no sense, really. A bunch of colleges are dumping long held rivalries in the name of squeezing a few more dollars out of college athletics while conveniently ignoring all the players who make all that money generation possible. Realignment is so confusing, that it takes two parts to explain the latest round. Part one is available here.

What about Clemson/Florida State? I've heard rumors about them.

These are the two real money makers (Aside from the upcoming five games a year from Notre Dame) in the ACC.  The good thing for the ACC is that they don't really have a viable home. There are major cultural issues that would keep them out of the Big Ten. The SEC has no interest in expanding further into states they already have programs in.

That leaves just the Big 12. When this idea of moving was brought up a year ago, various faculty members within both schools had a near riot at the idea of moving from the far more academically prestigious ACC to the not-nearly-as-prestigious Big 12*. Within a few weeks, the academic powers that be at both university had stomped the MOAR MONEY SPROTS crowd into the dirt.

The realignment merry-go-round has fired up again thanks to the Big Ten (again), and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's future home is right slap dab in the middle of it all. As the football season moves into the waiting period before the major bowl games, we thought we'd take the time to clue you in with a FAQ.

Why is this happening now?

The Big Ten has its own network, and has made the decision that it needs more content for that network. It took Rutgers from the Big East, and Maryland from the ACC. Both schools fit academically into the Big Ten and theoretically add the New York City/Northern New Jersey and Baltimore/D.C. television markets into the Big Ten's cable network subscriber base. 

But, both those schools have no fans, don't they?

Yes, you are right. Maryland has spent the last 25 years battling crippling debt in their athletic department which has mostly been caused by having a ton of non-revenue sports that aren't supported by their alumni or students very much. They've built a new basketball stadium and renovated their football stadium, believing that would spur attendance. None of it worked, and just buried the school deeper in debt.