SBJ report: Big Ten still reaching for Notre Dame to join the conference
A Sports Business Journal report Tuesday served as an indication that the Big Ten is leaving an open invitation on the table for Notre Dame to join the conference.
The recently signed television contracts the Big Ten secured with CBS, FOX and NBC for a record $1.2 billion annually include clauses that specifically denote how much extra TV providers will have to pay in rights fees if Notre Dame joins the conference in the next seven years.
No other school is mentioned in the contracts by name, per SBJ’s John Ourand.
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The Big Ten’s fixation on Notre Dame has been apparent ever since USC and UCLA announced defections from the Pac-12 in late June. It was rumored that fellow Pac-12 schools Oregon and Washington were next to go from one conference to the other, but it became clear very quickly that the Big Ten wants the Irish over anybody else.
One major stipulation: Notre Dame still heavily values its independence. And as long as it’s still plausible for the Fighting Irish to remain independent, they will do so. Only complications with a path to the College Football Playoff, issues with the Irish’s own television contract and not having a home for the university’s Olympic sports would force athletics director Jack Swarbrick to make a monumental change. At the moment, all three boxes are securely checked.
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The Irish’s next deal with NBC could be worth $60 million annually according to a recent report from Ourand. Combine that with the $10 million Notre Dame makes as a partial member of the ACC, and the Irish will bring in around $70 million a year in rights fees. It’s not Big Ten or SEC money, but it’s likely enough to prevent Swabrick from calling Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren with intent to make a deal.
Talks of Notre Dame joining the Big Ten have cooled considerably in the last month. The initial reaction to USC and UCLA’s move was that the Irish were left with no choice. It was either join a super conference or get lost in the shuffle. Clarity came with time. The Irish own as much leverage as any program in college football. The brand is desired by everybody but acquirable by nobody at the moment. Ourand’s most recent report, though, proves that the Big Ten is not finished shooting its shot. Notre Dame means money, attention and everything that is fascinating about college football. The Big Ten wants all of it.
