Rockne's Roundtable

C'mon man. We have to do something. Does he honestly think if it's a four team playoff they have a shot? If they take Conf. Championships as serious as it sounds they will it will be SEC PAC 12 Big 10 and Big 12 all day long. Since 2002 only two teams not in those conferences have been ranked in the top 4. TCU did it twice and Cincinnati did it once. And that was the USA today coaches polls. The same type of people that will head the selection committee. This is bad news for ND football. they will have to play similar schedules to this year every season. And not record more than one loss to be considered. And that might not even be good enough.

The Big East ship is at the bottom of the ocean for NCAA football.

Agree that Swarbrick appears to be on top of this situation. I think he's kept a pulse of this issue for the last several years. I can't help but think that our recently heavy Big XII scheduling is no coincidence.

Nothing in his statement indicates, to me, that this move is not happening. The classic "non-denial" denial.

I have absolutely no problem with the rumored 4 game arrangement as long as we have all the necessary access to post season play (i.e. bowls and playoff). To me this arrangement allows us to have our cake and eat it to.

It's still going to be the top 4 in the football playoff. Expect a points system that rewards playing tougher schedules and winning conference championships. As long as ND finishes in the top 4, we will not be excluded. If anything in the BCS era, college football has proven they cannot keep teams out.

As for the conference deals, I still expect us to stay in the BE. From what I read Swarbrick and Father Jenkins were basically running the last series of BE meetings. Mike Brey has done a great deal of talking over the past week about the future of the BE and ND's role in it. Gotta believe he and Swarbrick talk about it quite a bit.

I'm curious to know - if we can keep all the media deals. Why is there such a passion to remain independent in football?

Maybe I am to young to truly understand why that is so important to many of the fans, similar to the scoreboard at the stadium, but I'm curious to find out why people feel remaining independent is so important? Especially when I look at it as... ND routinely plays one of the toughest schedules, and joining a conference, should stop that and give them a chance to become a prominent figure in the NCAA again At least from a winning perspective.

Point blank. Beat your chests and call it cowardly, but I'd much rather see them do what everyone else does and play a conference schedule that includes one, maybe two tough non-conference games, and then have a couple cupcakes to go along with the inconference cupcakes.

And when I say two tough non-conference games, I mean, them knowing in advance that, "Hey we play Texas these 2 years in row from the south, and Oklahoma the two following, but then neither for two years - so lets schedule a fringe top 25 team so it looks like we tried to play a tougher non-conference schedule and then just got the luck of the draw in conference.

Thats how that always seems to play out for one team a year that ends up sitting at the top. Heck, as a Missouri alum, i know our fanbase is already plotting the year when they don't cross over to play bama or lsu.

To me, if ND needs to join a conference, or even if they don't - I think on the field, this move benefits them You get good competition, you break into a recruiting network, you can still keep your media deals, and you can still play the Army/Navy/USC's of the world non-conference. I just hope ND doesn't go crazy and decide to do USC, Miami, Michigan, MSU nonconfernece and just fall back into the same habbit.

Eventually you have to win. ND is looked at as not the same program on the field as it used to be. It'll never be able to get the depth of talent the way the SEC schools do or whoever else has minimal guidlelines for school. The location kills them often times with southern recruits, etc. Playing games in different states hoping to sell recruiting on that in that pipeline is getting ND to the top of the mountain.

An easier schedule, as sad as it is to hear, would. I think a conference can help offer that. Picture ND in the make believe North division which would be the Big 12. I watched Mizzou play in it, it isn't very good. ND could easily have the same success they've had over the last 8 years, and most likely would be far superior because they bring in more consistently better classes. You mean to tell me you wouldn't mind seeing Kansas, Iowa St, Army, Navy, Kansas St, etc on the schedule yearly? Please.

I, for one, am not of the belief that because of the recent BCS developments ND now HAS to join a conference. I don't see it. From my perspective, our chances at a title just doubled from needing to be in the top 2, to now needing to be in the top 4 since they are not limiting it to conference champions. With the schedules we play, we would be nearly guaranteed a slot should we go 11-1 or better and 10-2 some years would get us in the conversation.

The downside to the B12 option is it means we would have to split some of our teams a part (like the aforementioned lacrosse teams). But, if they are the only major conference that will allow us to keep our football independance it may be the only viable option. I think I would rather see us stick with the BE until it sinks, which for olympic sports may be awhile.