Independence

[Lberry]

Nah, the biggest reason is flexibility. And flexibility covers multiple areas. Ultimately ND doesn't want to be dictated on what they can do. They want flexibility in their schedule and in their media rights. They want to play on the national stage every week. No one else has a TV deal like ND. No matter where you are in the country you can count of ND being on TV. Having that much coverage is priceless and I think being in charge of your own schedule is priceless too.

What games of Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, etc., are not nationally televised? I've seen everyone this year.

Flexibility =/ getting jobbed year in and year out with BYEs/scheduling/forced 1st round playoffs.

Everyone on here is going to be shitting their pants if we finish #2 next year and have to play a Georgia team in the 1st round in lieu of a BYE because of independence. Just because it hasn't bitten us yet doesn't mean we shouldn't mitigate it now.

 

[GATTACA!]

Everyone on here is going to be shitting their pants if we finish #2 next year and have to play a Georgia team in the 1st round in lieu of a BYE because of independence. Just because it hasn't bitten us yet doesn't mean we shouldn't mitigate it now.

vs playing OSU in the B1G championship game. Losing and then playing Georgia in the first round of the playoffs anyways?

Great trade off.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

vs playing OSU in the B1G championship game. Losing and then playing Georgia in the first round of the playoffs anyways?

Great trade off.

At least playing in the conference championship gives us the opportunity to compete for a bye. Did you see how close the OSU game was this year?

You really think that the being in a conference makes it so much difficult to make playoffs that it’s not worth the opportunity to compete for a bye?

 

[GATTACA!]

At least playing in the conference championship gives us the opportunity to compete for a bye. Did you see how close the OSU game was this year?

You really think that the being in a conference makes it so much difficult to make playoffs that it’s not worth the opportunity to compete for a bye?

It also gives you the opportunity to play yourself out of the playoffs entirely. If we made it this year, even assuming we won, we'd still have play the first round game anyways.

 

[Lberry]

vs playing OSU in the B1G championship game. Losing and then playing Georgia in the first round of the playoffs anyways?

Great trade off.

Or being 10th and beating OSU in the conference game and getting in. It goes both ways, equally.

 

[GATTACA!]

Or being 10th and beating OSU in the conference game and getting in. It goes both ways, equally.

Or we can just be 10th and get in without having to play an extra game.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

It also gives you the opportunity to play yourself out of the playoffs entirely. If we made it this year, even assuming we won, we'd still have play the first round game anyways.

Sure. But most Big 10 and ACC conference schedules would be significantly easier than the schedules we typically play.

It would allow us the opportunity to arrive at a bye more often than playing ourselves out.

You can’t just take this years schedule against USC, OSU, Clemson, Louisville, Duke, etc, extrapolate it to 10-2 and then say a big-10 championship loss would leave us out. If we were in the big 10 west, we’re probably undefeated or 1-loss this year.

 

[GATTACA!]

Sure. But most Big 10 and ACC conference schedules would be significantly easier than the schedules we typically play.

It would allow us the opportunity to arrive at a bye more often than playing ourselves out.

You can’t just take this years schedule against USC, OSU, Clemson, Louisville, Duke, etc, extrapolate it to 10-2 and then say a big-10 championship loss would leave us out. If we were in the big 10 west, we’re probably undefeated or 1-loss this year.

But even if losing doesn’t knock you out you’re playing the extra playoff game anyways so you’ve gained nothing and just had an extra hard game.

 

[KPENN]

But even if losing doesn’t knock you out you’re playing the extra playoff game anyways so you’ve gained nothing and just had an extra hard game.

Plus I’d rather have a potential home playoff game rather than a neutral site conference championship game

 

[Lberry]

Or we can just be 10th and get in without having to play an extra game.

14th. Concept, not fill in the blank details..

 

[GATTACA!]

14th. Concept, not fill in the blank details..

If we’re 14 we’re likely not making a conference championship game anyways. I don’t see these conferences sticking with divisions the way they’re set up now and sticking themselves with one shit half the way the B1G West is.

 

[NorthDakota]

It would be nice to have a conference of officials who will at least sometimes have our back by virtue of a conference patch on the jersey

 

[calvegas04]

If we joined anyone other than the B10 I think we would need to end some rivalry games or alternate them (usc, navy, standford) unless we want all OOC games to be the same every year.

 

[Lberry]

If we joined anyone other than the B10 I think we would need to end some rivalry games or alternate them (usc, navy, standford) unless we want all OOC games to be the same every year.

If we kept USC only is anyone deeply upset? Stanford and Navy?

 

[Giddyup]

Not sure u know the history with Navy

 

[notredomer23]

Not sure u know the history with Navy

ND has more than repaid this 80 year debt.

 

[Lberry]

Not sure u know the history with Navy

I do, also don't believe in infinite sentences. Play them every 3 years if you must.

 

[Giddyup]

We wouldn’t exist without them

 

[DillonHall]

We wouldn’t exist without them

That's a strong statement. ND may have shut down for a short period, but it doesn't mean ND would've never re-opened

 

[DillonHall]

What is unique about ND football these days?

We're the most viewed program that hasn't won a national championship in 30+ years

 

[Lberry]

We wouldn’t exist without them

Yeah, well my mortgage wouldn't exist without Wells Fargo. Doesn't mean my great great Grandchildren need to keep paying them.

 

[Giddyup]

Huh? Don’t think we’re telling anyone else to play Navy

 

[Irishdrunk]

ND has the largest brand in college football, we don't need any tyrannical conference to dictate our every move. WE ARE ND. We aren't a bunch of sheep, we are MF lions.

There you go again. We don't have the largest brand in College Football. Under every study OSU has the largest Brand. I think if we won a Natty within the last 30 years that would have helped, though. Its a great Brand despite the school in reinvesting like it should.

 

[Giddyup]

What will a conference provide us?

 

[Lberry]

What will a conference provide us?

Rutgers current gets $60 million a year, experted to be ~$100M with new contact. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but our NBC contract is around $30 mil per year.

So that - plus more exciting games and a conference title, no more getting screwed by BYEs, refs, etc. Everything in the oppening comment which I won't rehash.

 

[Giddyup]

Rutgers gets no exposure. We get a ton of exposure

 

[Giddyup]

More exciting games?? Ok

 

[DillonHall]

There's one major benefit of joining a conference IMO- more money. Money makes the world go round. Maybe we could someday afford someone like Andy Ludwig

Playing against fair refs (vs USC) was a breath of fresh air compared to the ACC games this year. I do think there's bias against ND when it comes to those refs. Having fair bye weeks would also be nice. It's nice to be on a level playing field instead of being at a self-imposed disadvantage

I don't think exposure would change in either direction. That was only an issue with PAC-12 teams, and it was the underlying cause for the death of that conference.

 

[Giddyup]

Refs and Andy Ludwig the reason for joining a conference.

Maybe we should build an Andy Ludwig statue outside the stadium

 

[Lberry]

Refs and Andy Ludwig the reason for joining a conference.

Maybe we should build an Andy Ludwig statue outside the stadium

Rutgers is getting 2X the TV revenue ND is.... downplaying that is disingenuous. The reason we don't have a new gug, allegedly, is money raising. The reason a buyout became a thing is... money. We shouldn't be getting the leftovers money wise, just to listen to Jason Garret on Peacock.

There has yet to be a good reason for independence in this thread. "It's tradition" is not a reason.