Notre Dame going Independent?

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Where do you think they'll end up, NCHC or HE? I guess we'll know for sure in about a week.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the majority of ND fans think they'll end up in the NCHC. That's my guess anyway...

 

[MUhawks628]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

No one in the US even cares enough about the NHL to warrant extensive TV coverage on anything but a leper channel like VS; you really think these same audiences are going to care about one college hockey team? There will never be a national tv deal with college hockey; it's far too regional.

Rudy aint walking through that door

As much as someone cares about Texas women's volleyball? Sure. That's all I was saying.

I think your comment should be directed at the people saying college hockey will end up on Versus every night of the week. If ND ends up with a network (TV, internet or otherwise) putting college hockey on Friday or Saturday nights is just as good as anything else they will have in that time slot sans basketball or a replay of that days football game.

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Notre Dame is hot right now, a very good team, fairly secure immediate future, brand new arena to show off, and who wouldn't want that to be a part of their league?

Do I need to raise my hand to answer this question or can I just blurt it out?

When it comes to TV, it goes further than nearly every other NCAA hockey team.

Further by what? 1 centimeter?

Casual fans might matter in basketball and football. In a niche of a niche sport like hockey, Notre Dame matters as much as Bentley does to a casual fan. The casual fan you're thinking of that is flipping around might stop on a Notre Dame hockey game... sure. And then they will go... "durrr.... where is that darn little black thing they keep whacking around?" Then they'll flip on NASCAR or poker.

 

[bronconick]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

As much as someone cares about Texas women's volleyball? Sure. That's all I was saying.

If this is a veiled comment on the "Longhorn Network", they're planning to show a crapload of high school football on that channel, which is why the NCAA suddenly has an interest in whether schools and conferences should have such a thing.

Texas High School football in the state of Texas, with 25 million inhabitants, will outdraw the national draw of any college hockey event.

 

[MUhawks628]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

If this is a veiled comment on the "Longhorn Network", they're planning to show a crapload of high school football on that channel, which is why the NCAA suddenly has an interest in whether schools and conferences should have such a thing.

Texas High School football in the state of Texas, with 25 million inhabitants, will outdraw the national draw of any college hockey event.

Swarbrick had said there will be a Notre Dame Network in some capacity - I'm simply saying they will have to fill the schedule. I don't think anyone is arguing that Indiana high school football, or ND hockey for that matter, is as popular as Texas high school football.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

There is that as well. I could see Wisconsin still being in that mix, but signing up with home and home deals? That's going to be a bit much, even with the amount of NC games that the BTHC schools will want to fill. Especially with the party line from Delany being, "Join the Dark Side, get a cut of our Giganormous TV network deal that your football program alone will increase everybody's overall share, oh, and have a free Cookie!!!"

Ya don't know what the draw would be for the western big ten. Notre Dame really has no name in hockey in the west...its just a team from northern Indiana. While western Big Ten schools get almost nothing...Notre Dame gets visibility to arguably the nations top recruiting grounds. This is a one way deal and would draw almost no interest from Minnesota and I'm guessing Wisconsin (except the Lucia connection which translates about nowhere).

 

[JF_Gophers]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

I was just thinking we needed another thread about Notre Dame...

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

TV contracts are complicated ... Notre Dame's waiting probably just has to do with trying to figure out where all the chips are falling with TV - that's it.

There's perhaps another twist ND may be considering in terms of their announcement of where they will eventually land. My understanding is ND plans to make their announcement during CCHA conference meetings August 15-16. If the NCAA doesn't extend their August 15 deadline to impose post season sanctions against UND, I think ND will take that into consideration as well in terms of their immediate decision. The last thing Catholics want to do is offend an ethnic group. Long term, who knows what the prima donna Dame from Notre might do?

 

[Patman]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

The last thing Catholics want to do is offend an ethnic group.

Huh? This is college athletics... that makes no sense.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Huh? This is college athletics... that makes no sense.

One thing I do know is ontology comes before athletics in ND policy.

Moreover, read the transcript of the letter from the Big Sky Pres. Here's a recent response to it from the UND AD:

It's a problem that's also putting UND's entrance into the Big Sky conference in trouble as it moves to Division One. The Athletic Director says it's critical the problem is resolved. Brian Faison, UND Athletic Director: "On the Division One level now, it would be virtually impossible to have any kind of competitive schedule. What's happened is...there's less and less independent schools out there and frankly for certain sports, like basketball, I don't know who you'd play from mid-January on because everybody else is in conference play." UND is already having problems scheduling games since it will be in violation of NCAA policy. Minnesota and Wisconsin hockey teams have already said they won't play UND in 2013 if the problem isn't fixed.

If it doesn't work for MN and Wis, I would assume being on the wrong side of a heated minority issue doesn't work for Notre Dame either.

 

[bigmrg74]

Ya don't know what the draw would be for the western big ten. Notre Dame really has no name in hockey in the west...its just a team from northern Indiana. While western Big Ten schools get almost nothing...Notre Dame gets visibility to arguably the nations top recruiting grounds. This is a one way deal and would draw almost no interest from Minnesota and I'm guessing Wisconsin (except the Lucia connection which translates about nowhere).

What I was talking about how Delany wants ND football, and impretty sure he would take every chance he can to put the screws to the ND athletic department. If he can set something up to where the BTHC doesn't play ND, it's not a big screw in the grand scheme of things, but it would help shift another figure or two at ND into the join the Big Ten camp. Not that ND is going to give up independence in football just to be in the BTHC. But it would make a few more there in South Bend to lean that way.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

One thing I do know is ontology comes before athletics in ND policy.

Moreover, read the transcript of the letter from the Big Sky Pres. Here's a recent response to it from the UND AD:

If it doesn't work for MN and Wis, I would assume being on the wrong side of a heated minority issue doesn't work for Notre Dame either.

Admittedly I have not had much sleep and I'm not the brightest bulb in the box...but...???

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

What I was talking about how Delany wants ND football, and impretty sure he would take every chance he can to put the screws to the ND athletic department. If he can set something up to where the BTHC doesn't play ND, it's not a big screw in the grand scheme of things, but it would help shift another figure or two at ND into the join the Big Ten camp. Not that ND is going to give up independence in football just to be in the BTHC. But it would make a few more there in South Bend to lean that way.

Michigan State is having a great deal of trouble filling the seats at Munn unless 2000 Michigan fans show up. It takes about 8 average games at Value City arena against opponents not calling Ann Arbor or South Bend home to attract enough fans to fill that place ONCE to capacity. Penn State is a football first, second, and last campus that will have an AD quite anxious to assure a few full houses by attracting a brand name non-conference opponent to the upcoming Pegula Palace, and Notre Dame is extremely popular in Pennsylvania, with their football radio broadcast carried by more stations in PA than in any other state, including here in Indiana. What makes you think Jim Delany will convince any of these schools it's in their best interest to ignore a good day at the gate to chase something that is not going to happen?

Notre Dame will drop hockey as a varsity sport before they join the Big 10. And I'm guessing dropping hockey isn't very likely. Much like I noted in an earlier post about no one thinking long-term any longer, all of these schools (including Notre Dame), conference affiliation or not, think first of their own best and narrow interests. I just don't see any logical scenario where Big Ten hockey teams would be "encouraged" by the league office to avoid Notre Dame.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Admittedly I have not had much sleep and I'm not the brightest bulb in the box...but...???

Fighting Sioux... Fighting Irish... there are many who are unable to make a distinction as to why one may be offensive while the other is not. I often have a difficult time discerning who is being serious and who isn't when this argument is offered. For the record, as each university uses theirs, I find neither remotely offensive.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Fighting Sioux... Fighting Irish... there are many who are unable to make a distinction as to why one may be offensive while the other is not. I often have a difficult time discerning who is being serious and who isn't when this argument is offered. For the record, as each university uses theirs, I find neither remotely offensive.

Aah. I don't know why I bother reading some of these threads lately. They get so far off topic and are mostly filled with hearsay, wishful thinking, ridiculous statements and arguments.

Hockey season (I'm talkin' about the actual playing of the game) needs to start. Now.

 

[Happy]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Fighting Sioux... Fighting Irish... there are many who are unable to make a distinction as to why one may be offensive while the other is not. I often have a difficult time discerning who is being serious and who isn't when this argument is offered. For the record, as each university uses theirs, I find neither remotely offensive.

http://www.aics.org/mascot/civilrights.html

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

There's perhaps another twist ND may be considering in terms of their announcement of where they will eventually land. My understanding is ND plans to make their announcement during CCHA conference meetings August 15-16. If the NCAA doesn't extend their August 15 deadline to impose post season sanctions against UND, I think ND will take that into consideration as well in terms of their immediate decision. The last thing Catholics want to do is offend an ethnic group. Long term, who knows what the prima donna Dame from Notre might do?

I am kind of curious why you think the UND Fighting Sioux name issue is going to be a problem long term? I know you've posted about it numerous times.

This is what I believe, and what I think most people in North Dakota believe, will happen.

North Dakota officials will meet with the NCAA in one last effort (futile in my mind) to get them to change their minds. When that is unsuccessful, the North Dakota legislature, at it's fall special session that is already planned, will repeal the law that questionably tied the hands of the Board of Higher Education, and the issue will go away. North Dakota will go without a nickname this year for sure, with a decision on a future nickname to be made much later.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the majority of ND fans think they'll end up in the NCHC. That's my guess anyway...

Why do you think that is? Do you think it's because most Notre Dame fans want the team to choose the NCHC, or is there some other reason?

My hunch is exactly the opposite. They have virtually nothing in common with the NCHC teams and a lot in common with HE. I will be very, very surprised if they don't choose the HE route.

 

[Split-N]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

...My hunch is exactly the opposite. They have virtually nothing in common with the NCHC teams and a lot in common with HE. I will be very, very surprised if they don't choose the HE route.

Totally agree. I'm not an ND guy (although hope to make a road trip out there first wknd of Dec.) but it seems to me that ND would have zero community of interest with the NCHC schools. Another consideration is geography. I just can't think of a reason why ND would want to play in a league whose footprint is primarily in the northern plains and Rockies when the bulk of its fan base is east of the Mississippi. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if ND wanted to be part of the NCHC, it would have been a founding member.

The HE option makes sense for all of the reasons that the NCHC option does not, and I'm guessing this is the way things will finally pan out. But in the event HE says "thanks but no thanks," going independent with certain scheduling arrangements or becoming the linchpin of a reconstituted CCHA (and having the inside track on the CCHA autobid) would both seem to be preferable to hooking up with the NCHC.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Another consideration is grography. I just can't think of a reason why ND would want to play in a league whose footprint is primarily in the northern plains and Rockies when the bulk of its fan base is east of the Mississippi.

Put ND and, say, Western Michigan in the NCHC, and that footprint would change significantly. Try the alternative: why would ND want to play in a league whose footprint is exclusively New England when the bulk of its hockey fanbase is in Michiana and Chicago?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if ND wanted to be part of the NCHC, it would have been a founding member.

I don't know that I'd go as far as using this to conclude that ND has no interest in the NCHC, but I think you're right that it indicates uncertainty at the very least.

 

[darker98]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

If Notre Dame Was to begin play at the start of the league would they be considered a founding member or just the original 6 get that designation?