Duke got screwed.

Blue Devils would beat JMU easily. Putting them in was a farce.

Duke should be in on brand alone. It is The go to college for US elites 60k applicants and acceptance rate of 4%. How and why they want to compete with the Miami, Alabama and SEC flagships (excluding Vandy) with no academic prestige is head scratching. ND is a top 25 academic school but not in the same league of Duke and Stanford. Bama getting crushed in SEC Championship and struggling vs Auburn should have eliminated The Tide.

Anonymous wrote:Agree +1, Duke got screwed and to put a school with UMiami with no academic prestige in is not a good choice.

At 8-5 Duke got exactly what they deserved.

Sorry haters, but this too shall pass. In fact, with the Michigan situation now dominating the news it already has.

Anonymous wrote:Agree +1, Duke got screwed and to put a school with UMiami with no academic prestige in is not a good choice.

This might be the stupidest comment on this thread, and that's a high bar. Congratulations, I guess.

Anonymous wrote:Why does ND need to join a conference? Sure, you can say they need a harder schedule, fine. But who benefits if they join a conference?

They don't have to. But they can't refuse to join a conference and then get mad when a conference they were invited to join but chose not to, advocates on behalf of the actual, revenue-sharing members members of its conference instead of just doing what is in Notre Dame's best interest.

It's like the UK Brexiting and then getting upset when the EU continues to collaborate and help each other. Sorry other people see benefit in collaborating? Sorry you aren't as special as you thought? This is just reality.

And apparently Bevaqua is mad at the ACC for advocating to put an ACC team in the playoffs but it's okay for him to advocate to put ND in the playoffs? And don't even get me started on the weirdness of ND pitching a fit at the ACC when it's *in* the ACC, and only remains independent in football because they want to keep all their TV/sponsorship money for themselves. Like the lack of self awareness there is ridiculous. The ACC would welcome ND football with open arms, even now, but they don't want to be a part of it. Yet Bevaqua thinks he can tell the ACC not to advocate for itself.

This is the most absurd part of this story. There are honest disagreements about which of Miami, Alabama and Notre Dame should have gotten the final spot, and I can sympathize with ND's complaints about the process. I even understand not playing in another bowl, although I think it's got more than a whiff of "take my ball and go home."

But the complaints about the ACC are pure nonsense. Schools that make the CFP get a substantial payday, and their conferences share in that. ND football has stayed independent because of the substantial financial benefits of doing so, but now wants the ACC to forego advocating for their own financial and other interests, and their football member schools' interests, because ND plays basketball and lacrosse in the ACC? It's an absolutely ridiculous position.

The shortsightedness of Notre Dame's football program will lead to its downfall. Independence will be synonymous with irrelevance.

Anonymous wrote:Why does ND need to join a conference? Sure, you can say they need a harder schedule, fine. But who benefits if they join a conference?

Why ? In order to be assured of the ability to schedule major teams as opponents. Notre Dame's biggest moment this season came from defeating the Big Ten's Top 25 ranked team USC. The Notre Dame v. USC football game will no longer be an annual event. Without this season's victory over a #20 or #24 ranked USC team, Notre Dame would not have been ranked among the top 16 teams by the CFP for its 12 team playoff.

With further expansion of the SEC & the Big Ten Conference, it will be very difficult for Notre Dame football to schedule games against any SEC or Big Ten Conference opponents as both conferences will require member teams to schedule more intra-conference games each season. The remaining one or two open slots for non-conference opponents will be filled by less powerful college football opponents as the Big Ten & SEC intra-conference games are tough enough that there will be no tolerance or justification for scheduling a tough non-conference opponent. Risk of injury and lack of ability to experiment with second back-up players and new schemes/plays are some of the reasons that lesser opponents are scheduled by all major college football teams. In short, Notre Dame football's already weak schedule will become weaker without conference membership.

Of course, Notre Dame football has made clear that, due to the superiority of its football program, that it doesn't need any friends.

The Notre Dame versus USC annual rivalry will soon be taking a break. Should continue, but less frequently than annually.

Notre Dame football's independence is based, in large part, on the assumption that Notre Dame will be in the CFP each year. If Notre Dame misses two consecutive years, then conference membership will become more likely.

Anonymous wrote:Why does ND need to join a conference? Sure, you can say they need a harder schedule, fine. But who benefits if they join a conference?

Doesn't the conference benefit? ND definitely does not financially, which is a very good reason for them to stay independent.

The story of why ND is independent is based on anti-Catholic bigotry and the Big 10's desire to keep ND out of its conference back in the early 20th century. ND took matters into its own hands and traveled across the country to play other teams, one of which is USC. Hence it's long history with the USC rivalry. As time went on, the Irish's situation became more and more lucrative. Conferences suddenly became more interest in ND joining them, but financially it makes no sense for ND to join. We Irish fans relish this history and love that the anti-Catholic bigotry backfired on them. Think of all the money the Big 10 lost out on by pushing the Irish away. CFP or not, I hope ND never joins a conference.

Why does ND need to join a conference? Sure, you can say they need a harder schedule, fine. But who benefits if they join a conference?

Agree +1, Duke got screwed and to put a school with UMiami with no academic prestige in is not a good choice.

Miami should not be in period. Duke won the ACC Championship the Blue Devils should be in! In basketball a team potentially could go 1-35 regular season and if they win the conference tournament they get the automatic bid. Believe Miami lost at home to Louisville-end of story they should not be in!