Blue and Gold Illustrated

Sept. 19, 2020

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 19, 2020 5 FAN FORUM Notre Dame's first-ever football season with a league championship on the line in the Atlan- tic Coast Conference provided some food for thought in the future among some Blueand- Gold.com members. Fedman: The stories about the ACC and Notre Dame arrangement to play 10 games this season all included some vague promise that ND was going to do something for the ACC in the future. Many speculated this might mean ND would be- gin to regularly play 6 ACC games a year rather than the required 5 games. But what if this "promise" was a bigger prom- ise? Here is a plan I think would be a win-win for both ND and the ACC. (1) The ACC does away with the divisions and picks the top two teams for the championship game, just like this season. This will be the format going forward. (2) ND increases its ACC games to 6 games a year. However, going forward those games with ND count in the ACC standings. (3) The top two teams for the championship game is based on winning percentage. There is no maximum conference games to be played. Some teams might play 8 conference games, some could play 9 and some might play 10. It would be a gamble to play 9 games compared to another team playing 8 games. If you go 8-1 and the other team goes 7-1 you will have the higher winning percentage. However, you could also go 7-2 compared to that 7-1 team, which gives the 7-1 team the edge in winning percentage. (4) While the ND games will count in the ACC standings, there is an 8-game minimum to qualify for the ACC championship game. Thus, a 6-0 ND team record might top the standings, but it would not be allowed to compete for the title it they did not meet the 8-game minimum. (5) Notre Dame would have the option to meet or not meet this 8-game minimum. I think the ACC would agree to such a plan as it would make the ACC vs. ND games even more valuable with the extra incentive that they count in the standings. I also think it would be a great deal for ND as it gives them a lot of flexibility when it comes to scheduling. If ND is already committed to playing 6 ACC opponents (which I think there is a great chance ND has already agreed to), then adding two more ACC teams some seasons in order to qualify for the ACC championship is not that onerous. The Big Montana: I kind of like that idea. I'm definitely one of those folks who overvalues our independent status, but at the same time I'm kind of excited about how this season is going to work for Notre Dame with full-on conference play. No commitments, a little desperation on both sides, let's see how it works this one time. Kind of like ND is "swiping right" on the ACC's Tinder profile … Hond: Honestly, I don't think Notre Dame cares about winning conference championships. It di- lutes the image as a national rather than regional brand. They could very well agree to something like you outlined, but it would only be to patron- ize them for covering our schedule. Bigteve79: Personally, I'd be most interested in how much of the NBC money the Irish could keep as part of the ACC. The reality is that while being an independent was cool for years, the novelty has costs and significant drawbacks in today's game. I'd be sur- prised if we don't see Notre Dame keep most of the NBC contract money and get their share of the ACC contract as a full member before long. The hang-ups will be what happens to the rival- ries with USC and Navy. My guess is they continue, but it will remain to be seen if they both do. The Stanford rivalry will be the one that goes first. FROM THE WEB Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore | NDBookstore.com We've got you covered BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com

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