<p>Alex,
If I had a nickel for every time you’ve posted about U Michigan being the winningest college team, I’d be rich. </p>
<p>Btw, I don’t think Notre Dame is joining…at least not yet. As long as the Irish can still make their own TV contract, they don’t need to. But I would agree that as soon as that goes away, then they’ll be knocking on the Big Ten’s door.</p>
<p>“<em>Sigh</em> Watching Texas make up her mind is like watching my fiance shop for shoes!” </p>
<p>Watching Notre Dame is a triple-level shoe-shopping trip: (1) watching someone decide whether she wants to wear shoes at all (2) if she does decide to wear shoes, WHICH shoes will she buy? (3) if she decides which shoes she wants to buy, WHEN will she buy them?</p>
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<p>Question is, will the Big Ten still want Notre Dame then or will they tell the Irish to F off?</p>
<p>^ Potential for new TV contract is the key…right now, I doubt it’ll be as rich as what they have.</p>
<p>The USA is still almost a quarter Catholic. Notre Dame’s football rep is not what it once was, but that can change in a hurry with one or two good seasons. If Notre Dame can make itself relevant again in the contest for best football team, the networks would absolutely love it, ratings would soar…and lots of moola would follow.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, it would take a lot more than Notre Dame’s joining to make it the premier conference in the nation. Today, three conferences can easily make a more solid claim that the Big 10 could. Notre Dame would probably join the Big 10 for the sole purpose of alleviating the problems caused by its growing lack of success … and loss of a lucrative TV deal. Despite its army of supporters, many are getting bored of ND’s tomfoolery. I know I am and I used to love the Irish! Nothing says that the addition of Nebraska and potentially Notre Dame makes the conference much better. It would simply be a larger conference with a number of additional negatives that might not outdo the dwindling positives. </p>
<p>It is not like two recent superstars would be joining a cast of superachievers. While things might (and probably will) change in the future, the past years do not support any claim to the Big 10 regaining yesterday’s prominence and glory.</p>
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<p>True, but remember that the growth in Catholics in the last twenty years comes mostly from Hispanics who account now for about 1/3 of all Catholics. Those new Catholics have a better chance to root for the schools their kids attend or … Chivas USA team. </p>
<p>And they probably never heard of Rudy!</p>
<p>The growth in the Catholic Church also comes from people converting to the faith, searching for Truth in their spiritual worlds. Its the largest growing faith in the South, and I can assure you, its not just hispanics.</p>
<p>You mean nothing like Ohio State manhandling once vaunted Oregon? Iowa crushing GaTech, Wisconsin spanking Miami?? The only missing link in the B10 right now is a strong Michigan team. PSU can stay with anyone again. Nebraska adds another rebuilt power. Iowa and Wisconsin are both very solid. Even NU gave Auburn all it could handle.</p>
<p>I think ND now has the right guy in place. Finally.</p>
<p>alex,
Re the link that ucb posted earlier on student athletes and progress towards graduation,</p>
<p>[Scout.com:</a> How Smart Is Your Program? - The APR Reports](<a href=“http://cfn.scout.com/2/976954.html]Scout.com:”>http://cfn.scout.com/2/976954.html)</p>
<p>I wanted to offer my sincere condolences on U Michigan’s 84th place finish. I know that you were hoping for a Top 75 performance this year. </p>
<p>Try to look on the bright side….U Michigan did better than Auburn (85th)…and almost as well as NC State (83rd). </p>
<p>Btw, 3 Big Ten colleges finished in the Top 10 for football players progressing toward graduation. Those were U Illinois, Northwestern and league champion (again!) Ohio State.</p>
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<p>Ohio State manhandling once vaunted Oregon? 26-17
Iowa crushing GaTech? 24-14
Wisconsin spanking Miami? 20-14</p>
<p>You forgot Penn State’s destruction of LSU in the CAPITAL ONE BOWL. You know that 19-17 triumph!</p>
<p>If you watched any of those games the final score hardly indicates how one-sided the games were. Garbage time points.</p>
<p>Help me. I’m spending all my waking hours following conference realignment on the rivals and scout boards for TAMU, Texas, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Nebraska, North Carolina, USC. Rumors. Changing stories by the minute. I know who Frank the Tank is and Orangebloods. I’m doing it on my computer at work and home and on the iPhone on the bus. I have a terrible headache. It’s all too much. Help. Is this more interesting than the actual games? Will Duke and NC or maybe NC State or VT go to the SEC? Will BC go to the B10. Will the B12 dissolve? And what about Missouri and Kansas? Who knows and why do I care? Is this football’s equivalent of the Hot Stove League?</p>
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<p>Garbage points might be added at the end of a game, but a team failing to score one touchdown per quarter and winning by a few points hardly amounts to a spanking or a manhandling. It it were, you might run out of hyperbolic qualifiers for the 31-13 drubbing of 10/10/2009.</p>
<p>I suggest you watch the OSU and Wisconsin bowl games again and see what transpired. Wisconsin beat the crap out of Miami at the line. UM scored a cheap TD at the end when UW was just running out the clock. Same with OSU Oregon.</p>
<p>TS–nobody knows yet how it will shake out. But the B10 got Nebraska and that’s a good strong addition. I’d like to see them add some East Coast teams now starting with RU. Texas and or ND would be great to get too.</p>
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+1. I think I’ve wasted more time on that than this site the past couple weeks. :)</p>
<p>I don’t know how great it would be for the B10 to get Rutgers but it would be spectacularly great for Rutgers to get into the B10.</p>
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Texas comes with baggage the Big Ten won’t accept.</p>
<p>The B10 would take UT by itself in a heartbeat–they took Nebraska after all. It’s the rest of the state teams that’s a problem.</p>
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<p>Baggage or … pre-punched tickets to the next BCS bowls. Just to stay in the travel mode. </p>
<p>Hopefully by the same time tomorrow we’ll be able to put the friendly banter aside. Whatever is decided won’t be for traditions or for the benefit of the fans. If there was enough money in it, most teams would play away games in Alaska in January or in Costa Rica in July. </p>
<p>We just happen to care because we like to watch the games (and yak about them) but the reality this has very, very little to do with sports and athletes (and NOTHING with academics,) unless you spell it $port$!</p>