Notre Dame's ACC move a win-win alliance
Something had to give.
The Big East Conference has been imploding for some time now and Notre Dame needed a home for everything but football.
Wednesday, Notre Dame officials announced they found that home.
Starting in the 2015-16 school year (unless the exit process can be expedited), the Irish will take all their sports (other than football and hockey) to the Atlantic Coast Conference, becoming the league's 15th member.
Notre Dame's relationship with the Big East began in 1995.
"It's not about going from something, it's going to something," was Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick's politically correct take on the transition.
While the move doesn't include football, it has everything to do with football.
"Having Notre Dame as a full member (including football) was never in the cards," said ACC commissioner John Swofford. "Our discussion was: What could be a win-win situation?"
The win-win comes from Notre Dame's agreement to play five regular-season football games against ACC opponents each year. The 14 members would rotate within a three-year period.
Counting Pittsburgh, which will be an ACC member in July, 2013, the Irish have four teams -- Pitt, Boston College, Miami and Wake Forest -- on this year's slate.
In terms of the postseason, Notre Dame's current state of locked-in opportunities is anywhere from slim to none.
The Irish do have a clear path to the future playoff scenario, but the non-BCS contingencies are lacking. Their arrangement with the Big East allowed for one appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl every four years. The Irish used their invitation last year (in the last Champs Sports Bowl), so all that's left is stepping in for leagues that can't fill their quota of spots for minor bowls.
"First we wanted to understand where the BCS was going to end up," Swarbrick said of the timing of the move. "Then we had to evaluate our future."
Swarbrick called the switch "financially neutral."
In the recently-signed television deal with ESPN, each ACC member is expected to earn $17 million a year. The distribution is broken down to 80 percent for football ($13.6 million) and 20 percent basketball and other sports ($3.4 million).
Swofford said there's a good chance that contract will be re-negotiated with Notre Dame as a player now.
Records show that Notre Dame receives a payout of about $5 million from the Big East each year, but Swarbrick was quick to note other factors that impact the bottom line will make the take similar or a little better for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's contract with NBC to televise home football games through 2015 will not be impacted.
Notre Dame will be required to pay a $5 million exit fee to the Big East.
Swarbrick gave no indication as to what the Notre Dame football schedule might look like once the ACC rotation becomes reality.
He noted that a West Coast presence each year - meaning Southern Cal and Stanford - is important. Also, the relationship with Navy is a long and cherished partnership that goes beyond football.
Beyond that, Swarbrick said it's too soon to speculate the fate of any other existing contracts.
Wednesday's announcement follows months of speculation about Notre Dame's conference affiliation.
The Big Ten Conference was adamant about not allowing Notre Dame in without football. Likewise, it was widely reported that several Big 12 members held a similar attitude. That's why the ACC and its open-arms policy toward the Irish apparently became the best option.
The ACC is the best fit for the Irish. Important to Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey was maintaining an East Coast identity. Brey's recruiting base is in that part of the country.
"This is the 60th year of the conference," said Swofford. "We've always had an all-in philosophy toward membership. There's a changing landscape. It's a changing world.
"What was best 20 years ago, might not necessarily be the best in today's world."
Academically, Notre Dame has much more in common with schools like Duke and Wake Forest than any school in the Big 12.
"We're excited to be part of a consortium that already exists (in the ACC)," said Swarbrick. "We can share resources and help to make every university stronger."
Not many down sides in the deal for either party.
Should be a good match.