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ND to the ACC

Letter to the Editor

Published: Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Updated: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 12:09

Conference realignment's coming in hot this week, and once again, Notre Dame's the best-looking girl at the high school dance. For the sake of the University, we need to end up in the ACC over the Big Ten.

It's much more exciting as a Notre Dame fan to envision an ACC schedule. Michigan and Michigan State are iconic, and Wisconsin's enticing, but I would rather get dragged naked over a cactus then get forced to watch low-energy games against mediocre state school programs (see Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, etc.). On the contrary, we could stoke the fire against perennial powers Miami, Florida State, Clemson and Virginia Tech, while keeping in touch with familiar foes Pitt and BC. FSU? The U? We'd forget Sparty and Purdue real quick and never look back.

Let's not forget that behind this whole circus are actual universities where real people go to get authentic degrees. If Notre Dame wants to associate with universities that share a similar commitment to academics, the move needs to be to the ACC. U.S. News rankings show that as it stands, the new ACC has seven top 40 universities. The new Big 10 only has two. Where it matters — in the classroom — that's like Tyson fighting an infant.

We can hide under a rock in the Midwest, where everyone already knows we're an elite academic institution, or conquer the entire Eastern seaboard. Out there, some absurd people actually consider Georgetown our Catholic equal. Trust me, I had to deal with it growing up. But seriously, the Notre Dame name rings much louder out here in fly-over states than it does in civilized America (the East coast). Let's go raise our visibility and enlighten the unenlightened.

Jack Swarbrick and Fr. John Jenkins, if improving the energy of our program, the academic quality of our opponents and the long-term reputation of our beloved institution are wrong, then I don't wanna be right. Also, a jumbotron wouldn't hurt, either.

In Notre Dame,

James Kachadoorian

senior

off campus

Sept. 19

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33 comments

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Anonymous
Sat Sep 24 2011 16:36
If ND Football joins anything, it will be the big 10
1-Location
2-Hockey would be a great fit too
3-Rosebowl
Anonymous
Thu Sep 22 2011 21:19
If ND approached the ACC, they would make the plunge for #15 & #16. Penn State is a longshot, but Uconn is begging. If ND waits too long, there won't be a #17 though.
Tim
Thu Sep 22 2011 17:06
guess anonymous is a hit it one timer,,, To all the Fighting Irish fans,,,join up with the ACC and we will all be the better for it. FSU vs. ND league championship,,,,sounds good doesnt it. That assumes we finally beat VT one day.
Anonymous
Thu Sep 22 2011 17:02
They could not compete in the Big 10 year in and year out
Tim
Thu Sep 22 2011 14:49
Just what view do you think they have that is not the same as mine? People outside of ND dont see you as the this golden gift from God. First of all, dont mix sports and football with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You diminish the greatness of God by thinking he cares anymore about ND than he does FAMU. Trust me, only ND is caught up in the hype that you generate. I respect ND but most of your fans really think you are better than other people. You might think your university is better, and in a lot of ways it is better than most, but your PEOPLE are the same as everyone else. So again, please explain.
Anonymous
Thu Sep 22 2011 12:36
Thankfully not everyone at your school shares your view. Print your post and come back to it in ten years.
Anonymous
Thu Sep 22 2011 11:10
As an FSU fan, I would love to see ND come into the ACC. I feel this would be a perfect fit for you as well as the ACC. ND has the tradition and history that any conference would love. If ND really looks at all the reasons, it chooses ACC. FSU had its choice of the SEC and ACC, we chose the ACC and as far as education and research dollars, we far exceed UF or any other SEC school close to us. The ACC has made us a better school, I think it will make ND better to. But just so all of you understand, we want ND, we respect ND and would love to have such a prestigous school join the ACC. But we wont beg for you to, and wont cry if you dont. ND just might find themselves left out if they dont make up there mind.
Anonymous
Thu Sep 22 2011 10:29
good luck when you graduate and begin to look for a job in the cooperate world!
Kevin
Thu Sep 22 2011 01:54
In the ACC, teams currently play 8 conference games and 4 out of conference. So ND could keep playing Navy, USC, Michigan, and Michigan State
Anonymous
Wed Sep 21 2011 23:55
How sad too see it was Notre Dames vote that resulted in the demise of the Big East football conference. Notre Dame sold its sole to the cooperate world years ago, and the current AD is all about cooperate. How sad! Shame on U Notre Dame. Greed has no conscience.
Anonymous
Wed Sep 21 2011 23:10
ND is going to have to decide how long they ride the independent horse. If they wait too long, they will lose their best option, the ACC. Nd has't been a power in years ( except in fan base). They are going to have to choose between the TV contract and the long term stability of the ACC along with the benefits it will bring.Do the math, 4 16 team conferences= 64 teams. Sound like an NCAA tourney? It'll take 3 games for a playoff and everyone else will be shut out.
Anonymous
Wed Sep 21 2011 23:00
I almost wrote a slicing comment, but then I realized you were joking the entire time. I believe (according to the comments) I'm the only one who caught it, but I saw it with the Jumbotron comment. Kudos, James, you fooled us all.
aunoonan
Wed Sep 21 2011 22:51
Notre Dame has always played opponents based on football prowess, not academic status. Historic battles with Oklahoma, Michigan State, Alabama, Texas, and Penn State weren't staged because ND wanted to promote elite schools competing.

Even IF ND wanted to compete against "like-minded" schools - strong in academics and athletics - the Big Ten is the better fit. Sure, the ACC has 7 Top 40 academic schools. But most of those schools are terrible at football. You tout FSU, Clemson, VT - come on! An elitist like you surely can't think those party schools are worthy of sacred ND!

Every Big Ten school is, at a minimum, solid academically. And every Big Ten school except IU & Minnesota has been to a BCS bowl since ND last won one.

aunoonan
Wed Sep 21 2011 22:27
James, I see that you are from Connecticut, and that your dad's an NYC lawyer. (Not a lot of Katchadoorians out there.) Anyway, being that "civilized" means you should've been at an Ivy League school. I guess Dad didn't have enough pull so you ended up in flyover country. Perhaps you should take advantage of your time here by learning from simple-minded Hoosiers jthe art of humility. ND is as much a part of Indiana as corn and as much a part of South Bend as a closed down factory. It's disappointing that you're blindly above it all and refuse to embrace your community. (See "Jesus" - that's "Notre Dame's" son.)
Linebacker bouncer
Wed Sep 21 2011 22:23
Let's join the sec. Hey, if we're going to lose, why not lose to a 'power house' 'super duper conference' team?! Independent! And fix the schedule by added a cup cake or two up front.

Go Irish

Anonymous
Wed Sep 21 2011 22:22
The time to join the Big East was when they still had many good teams. The smart move is to make the same smart move that Syracuse, Pitt, BC, Miami, and Virginia Tech made...teams we would have been with in the Big East...to the ACC.
Kevin G
Wed Sep 21 2011 20:26
OK, I'm from ACC country and have been to many ACC games/stadiums. Let me be the first to say how disappointed I would be to see ND join the ACC. You are right that most of the ACC schools are superior to the B1G schools academically with the possible exception of Michigan and Northwestern. However, the road trips to 21,000 seat Wake Forest (I know, you'll do the research and see that they say 28,000, but I've been there many times and they put 7,000 on a grassy knoll), itty bitty NC State, or God knows Duke's silly little washed out pit that they call a football stadium, will not be nearly as fun as the B1G slate. If you think that Miami or Clemson are powerhouses any more then you don't get much ACC football on your cable system. I agree with your reasoning that it will expand the brand to the very important east coast, but from a competition perspective, it's not even close. This would be a major upgrade for the ACC and honestly a downgrade as far as the schedule for ND.

Kevin G--ND MBA '11

Anonymous
Wed Sep 21 2011 18:00
Just so you guys know, I'm pretty sure his mention of "flyover states" and "civilized america" is tongue-in-cheek. But I do disagree with him, I'd take B1G Ten over the ACC, and independence over that (if possible)
ND grad from IA
Wed Sep 21 2011 16:41
hey kid - wake up. I thought you had to be smart to get into ND.
Anonymous
Wed Sep 21 2011 15:59
���Enlightened��� states!? Have you been brainwashed? That���s simply propaganda people use to make themselves sound intelligent (i.e. all the ���enlightened��� celebrities whose lives are a complete train wreck). Talk is cheap, results speak; but, what would I know, I���m just a dumb, backwards Hoosier.
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