of those games. Your proposal raises it to 7 total, so the ACC is paid for either 3 or 4. That increases the ACC TV income by ONE ND game.

You would also add Navy to the conference. Navy would draw a full distribution, i.e. 1/15 of football plus 1/16 of the rest.

To not lose money, that single ND game has to produce more than Navy's share; $32 million in FY 19/20 dollars. I don't think it will; it's a $5 million dollar game at best.

Adding Navy and one ND game probably won't move the needle for the ESPN contract and it REDUCES overall conference content by 6 games (8 x 14) minus (7 x 15) + 1 ND game] = 6.

You also split the conference into quads. So 3 teams will play ND every year; and one of those 3 is Navy. The other 12 teams see ND once every three years so almost the same frequency they play now, tho a smidge less.

Unfortunately, that once every 3 year frequency is what it would become for ALL of the teams outside a quad. There are 12 teams you only see every 3 years instead of the 7 teams you see infrequently now.

IF rivalries are important for marketing and fan interest, quads reduces that number of annual encounters from 6 to 3.

Your proposal economically sinks (pun intended) by adding Navy; and I doubt one ND game is enough to get ESPN back to the table.

The ACC needs to add meaningful football programs like ND and WVU or subtract the irrelevant ones like the 4 mentioned most frequently on this board; or both.

My proposal for minimum conference standards for football (seating capacity and program $) would push the lesser football programs to invest a fair share for that 80% portion of conference revenue; or step aside in football while remaining in the conference for the rest. They are KILLING the quality of the content the conference is depending on to keep pace.

ND is going to do what they are going to do as long as their playoff possibilities are realistic; and they are doing so by playing less games than the conference champs.

The conference champs are all playing 13 games. All the teams in the playoffs should do the same. Unless the playoffs go to champs only, that differential will likely be the driving force for 12 teams (that is why they went to 12 in the first proposal), so that you have play-in games for the non-champs. And that opportunity will likely be fine for ND to remain indy.

ND has played their cards well by maintaining a top flight program of national interest. The conferences lack the balls and maybe even the legal standing to do anything about it. Play-in games, which ND has agreed to, will (imo) be as close as they get.

The ACC has given ND what they want, access to a top basketball league in exchange for a handful of football games. ND may shop around in 2036 but I doubt if anything changes other than maybe the Orange Bowl arrangement, if there are still bowls.


[Post edited by daveinop at 09/16/2021 09:05AM]