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Important notes on articles:
Playing Stanford every year actually reduces ACC to 4 games by Hickster
per year, if that can be worked out. ND is in a good position to renegotiate the ACC deal.
RENEGOTIATE ACC DEAL:
The ACC should be desperate in keeping ND on their teams’ football schedule, to show they are playing a high quality opponent. This helps the ACC with both TV exposure and improve their teams’ strength of schedule for college playoff rankings. ND’s benefits are to play as strong a schedule that makes sense while keeping their independence in football and ACC alignment for other sports except hockey. Also stipulate that ND has the option of dropping out of the ACC if certain team(s) are no longer part of the ACC. Some of the key benefits for ND if the following changes are negotiated.
SCHEDULE: ND plays specific ACC football teams on a more frequent basis based upon what is best for ND to fulfill their number of games commitment:
o Every year – Stanford. This keeps this tradition active and helps recruiting in California (especially Northern California). Since this is a priority for ND and counted as an ACC game, then it actually is a reduction in the ACC games/year from 5 to 4 games per year.
o Every other year teams – Florida St. & Miami. This gets ND playing in Florida every other year against teams that have/recently had elite status. ND potentially has the last game of the year in LA (USC) one year and the next year in Florida (FSU or Miami). ND ends the season playing a quality opponent to hopefully improve their strength of schedule and ranking going into the Playoff selection rankings. Also, this helps recruiting in Florida and California (by playing Stanford each year, but no longer as an end of year game at Stanford – as long as the USC game is continued as an end of year game when they play in LA). Clemson (who is slipping) has had recent success, but still does not have the established tradition that Miami and FSU had (and could have).
o Every 3 years – Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech. Play back-to-back home and away games. Clemson for competition, and the others for recruiting. There are 4 schools in North Carolina, so that area will be well represented in the general rotation for the left over teams.
o All other schools are played on a rotation basis for the ACC annual commitment slots available.
o Playing at off- campus stadiums: I understand that some like the tradition of playing at some great campus locations like Virginia, Duke, etc., however it may be in ND’s best interest to play at the closest NFL stadium to make it a bigger/special event and more seating allocations for ND. I understand it may hurt the opponents season ticket sales for that year, but perhaps season ticket holders get the premium seats at the NFL stadium. The special event nature of this game has definite upsides for ND recruiting and perhaps even for the ACC opponent.
BC – Foxboro Stadium (Pats)
Syracuse – Meadowlands
Some NC Schools – Charlotte
Virginia/VT – DC area (Occasionally, especially VT)
SMU – Cotton Bowl/Irving
Service Academies (Continue at NFL/Foreign locations)
EXIT STRATEGY: If there are certain changes in the teams within the ACC, then ND has the option of leaving the ACC without financial penalties or they can renegotiate based upon ND’s terms.
o If Florida St. or Miami leave the ACC, then ND would schedule the team that is left to play every year. Playing home and way in Florida against a major opponent is critical for ND to stay in the conference.
o If 2 of Florida St., Miami and/or Clemson leave, then ND can immediately exit the ACC without financial penalties or stay in the ACC without any financial penalties whenever they decide to exit. ND also gets to renegotiate some points (i.e., dropping one of their annual commitment games).
o If the ACC agrees to the above, ND may need to give something back to the ACC to get this type of agreement. Since Stanford is now in the ACC, then if playing them in the future accounts for one of the ACC annual game commitments, and since ND wants to play Stanford annually, then this actually reduces ND’s commitment from 5 traditional annual ACC games to 4 traditional annual commitment games. I would much rather play any ACC team in the rotation, than play current/recent lower quality opponents like N. Illinois, Miami (OH), Tennessee St., Central Michigan, UNLV, etc. Therefore, based upon the concessions that ND can get with the ACC, ND could potentially trade off one additional ACC game a year if get all other terms above, since playing Stanford every year was something that ND intended to do prior to this year’s conference realignments. I would not offer it proactively, but reactively based on getting the appropriate concessions.