ND athletics in the ACC and the BigTen
- Thread starter Richard the LIONhearted
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Aren’t they independent in football? Also the Big 10 doesn’t have enough league participants for ice hockey. I despise ND but have no problem with the ice hockey arrangement given there are only the two Michigan teams, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and OSU otherwise. I’d prefer if we had maybe 8 Big 10 teams so we could expand the league schedule. Or if we had enough teams we could split into two divisions?
They're quasi-Independent in football. They get the perks of the ACC bowl contracts and have to play 5 ACC teams each year.
The B1G wants to get to 8 teams. Illinois would make 8 if they can get a program going. What will be interesting is to see if there is ever 8 true B1G schools with hockey. Will they go to 9 teams or ask ND to leave? 7 works much better than 9 teams. 8 works better than 7 or 9.
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Only six teams were needed to form the Big Ten Hockey Conference and PSU was #6. That's how many there were for the first couple years until ND was added. I don't like ND either but their entry into the BTHC has benefits both ways. ND's travel was slashed dramatically. The BTHC added a very good program which made at large bids from the BTHC more likely. I don't know the financial arrangement but I'm guessing neither side gave up much since ND home games can sometimes be seen on NBC Sports. I doubt much of that money flows to the Big Ten just as I doubt much money goes from the Big Ten to ND. It's an awkward marriage of convenience in which each side ignores the infidelities of the other.
It would be great if the BTHC/ND affiliation was drawn up to include a reevaluation after ten years or so. Hopefully a couple other real Big Ten universities will add ice hockey after which time ND could be cut loose. I doubt ND would have agreed to something like that however. The time could come when there will be a mutual parting of ways.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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I like ND in the B1G and wanted them to join for football. It’s a great school with great athletics and I love cheering against them. Wish I could do it more!
I know you meant "better than 7 or 9", but I still laughed at it.
Illinois is looking like they are getting very serious about adding hockey. And they will be formidable within a few years. Illinois puts out a lot of college hockey players and there currently isn't a single D1 hockey team in the state.
I don't recall the details either. I think it ended up where both sides just keep their own. Maybe ND gets a bonus for the postseason revenue they help generate. The B1G having ND makes it stronger and generates more TV viewers when ND is on BTN. I'm fine with it until the rest of the B1G schools add hockey.
They really needed more then just the bare minimum 6 teams for the conference, and ND was a logical pick due to geography, hockey acumen, and having previously been in a conference with half the B1G teams (MSU, Michigan and OSU) for many years before those teams left and caused the collapse of the CCHA.
You really can't look at hockey the same way you look at other sports when it comes to conference membership.
You really can't look at hockey the same way you look at other sports when it comes to conference membership.
Lacrosse was the same way until Maryland and Rutgers were added -- and we still needed Hopkins as an affiliate member (similar to ND in hockey) to get to the six required for the conference auto-bid.
Fencing, women's hockey and men's volleyball are not Big Ten sports currently, so our teams compete in other conferences.
There is no post season revenue from hockey. I know the possible response, but as a practical matter the parties involved consider it to be a wash and little or no money changes hands between them
I know the logic of allowing ND to play B1G Hockey. I get that it's a 'marriage of convenience' for both parties. But it still rubs me wrong that we are doing anything to benefit ND, after so many years of them thumbing their noses at us when it came to the idea of joining the conference as a full time member.
Yes I did. I guess I was using unc student athlete math there. ;-)
Not about money for hockey.
b10 could replace ND with Ferris state and it wouldn’t change the money
You'd have to think most ND fans reside in the Northeast quadrant of the US (Big10 territory). Why B10 schools continue to line ND's pockets is beyond me.
Of course the Big Ten benefits. Only a fool would really believe otherwise. I know you like to act like a fool at times but you aren’t really that stupid.
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