Agreed. Some are a little sensitive, but it's all good. It's all in fun. The only thing I would be disappointed to see is if state schools were trying to sell this to recruits. That state schools such as OSU give you an equivalent degree to an ND one and will open just as many doors. That just isn't true and takes away a big recruiting advantage we have.
Bingo. ND fans are sensitive to this because we're close to breaking into the top tier that OSU has occupied for the last decade or two, our academics are
legitimately superior, and yet our rivals frequently straight-up lie about that to recruit against us.
It would depend on the degree program, wouldn't it?
In your case, yes. But how many 18yos are set on such a super specific degree that ND doesn't even offer?
I also think there is a huge asterisk here, these are football players. How do you account for the near-celebrity status these guys have? Do we really think OSU football players with a degree have a hard time getting opportunities in Columbus or Ohio, or beyond? OSU alumni isn't exactly small.
The guys who get to a big-time program
and produce on the field can often dine out on that for the rest of their lives. But that's true at every big-time program, there aren't a lot of them, and even that is usually a more provincial and limited sort of "success" compared to what many of our student athletes end up doing after graduation.
And for the guys who
don't produce on the field for some reason, no one gives a sh!t that you played for OSU back in the day. They end up as gym teachers and high school football coaches most of the time.
The trump card is graduation rate. I think ND has one of the best deals in college football with an exceptional graduation rate (indicative that the school cares about your academic progress IMO), one of the best undergrad business programs, and championship contending football. But let's be real, isn't 1/3 of the football team in Film & Theatre Studies or whatever the major is called?
Yes, ND's FGR, particularly for minority athletes, is significantly higher than OSU's.
AFAIK, most of our football players are in the Mendoza College of Business. FTT is the 2nd most common major, but even that course of study ain't remotely comparable to a "Communications" degree at a large state school.