Ever since the move to Conference Championship Games Brought to You By AllState Because You Could Die Tomorrow Just Like John David Stutts, it seems the college football schedule has crept later and later. The Pac10 and Big East, not saddled with a made-for-TV event, followed ESPN’s financial siren song and now consider the first weekend of December a viable date for games. While on the good side, it’s allowed teams like USC to fiddle with their schedule and move the UCLA rivalry game to the very last weekend, why anyone would want to sit in a place like Piscataway and watch horrific football in the chill is beyond me.

The ACC, SEC, and BigXII teams that aren’t in their title game are handcuffed, so there’s plenty of broadcast space looking to be filled. Ending your season on Thanksgiving weekend has almost become an anachronism, and ending it before that puts you at a competitive disadvantage (as the Integer is finding out).

So the question becomes: Should the Fighting Irish get into the act?

Spending Thanksgiving in California (or someplace else warm) has become almost a tradition in and of itself for Notre Dame. But now we have this extra weekend hanging out there, and given its possible use to create a beneficial bye week during the meat of the season, perhaps ND should think about this a little.

I’m not suggesting they play in South Bend in December. Late November games are bad enough. If they’re going to do this, they’d end up on the road two weeks in a row.

Warm-weather destinations, though, are attractive. The “barnstorming” plans call for games in places like Orlando and New Orleans. Is it possible a decent Big East or Pac10 team could be coaxed into an appearance somewhere like that?

Indoor destinations are another possibility. Indianapolis has a beautiful new facility just down the road. Detroit could use something like a Notre Dame game as a financial shot in the arm.

If Miami weren’t locked up in the ACC, it’d be a natural to sign a four-year deal with them. Games in Miami, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Houston on the first Saturday in December would be financial and ratings winners.

Perhaps the readership could come up with a suitable opponent.