The Tunnel

Well you had to think plan 1A for them was Pitt in order to help with ND.

The crap tv deal the swaff got pushed Fl St and Clemson into their lap.

I think even more sneaky is the SEC partnered up with the BIG in order to kill the ACC and pick off a few teams.

Partnered with the Big 12 for sure. Still to me the ACC is not dead. If this is true this is all about NOTRE DAME. Who gets them lives. Who does not dies. BIG 12 bloggers may or may not be telling all that is true. Last week I had Clemson source telling me a done deal. I dunno though. We shall see.

The Big 12 wants Pitt for their ties to ND. It screws our system...

Read these:

Pittsburgh

The Fighting Irish's longtime rivalry with the Pittsburgh Panthers, Notre Dame's fifth most played football opponent, began in 1909 and there have been no more than two consecutive seasons without two teams meeting each other except between 1913–1929, 1938–1942, and 1979-1981. Since 1982, the Panthers have remained a relative fixture on the schedule. Notre Dame leads the series 44-20-1.[2] The longest game in Notre Dame history occurred between the two schools in 2008, when Pitt defeated ND in a record 4 overtimes by a field goal.

Boston College
Main article: Holy War (Boston College vs. Notre Dame)

The Fighting Irish and Boston College Eagles first met in 1975 in Dan Devine's debut as head coach. They met in the 1983 Liberty Bowl and during the regular season in 1987, then played each other annually from 1992 to 2004. The Fighting Irish and Eagles play for the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl and the Ireland Trophy. The rivalry has become relatively popular and gained several nicknames including the "Holy War", "The Bingo Bowl" and "The Celtic Bowl". In 1993, the Eagles ruined Notre Dame's undefeated season with a 41-39 victory on a last second field goal as time ran out, overshadowing a furious fourth quarter rally by the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame leads the series 11-9,[2] winning the last two contests in 2009 and 2010 after the Eagles won the last six meetings. The series was scheduled to end after the 2010 season due in part to BC's move to the ACC and Notre Dame's current commitment to play three Big East teams per year; however, it was renewed in 2010 for another decade.
Georgia Tech

This series began in 1922. The Yellow Jackets were a longtime rival of the Fighting Irish and the two teams met periodically on an annual basis over the years. When Georgia Tech, who had been an independent since 1963 when they dropped out of the Southeastern Conference, joined the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning in 1982, they were forced to end the series after 1981 because of scheduling difficulties. Consequently the two teams have met very infrequently since then. Georgia Tech was the opponent in the inaugural game in the newly expanded Notre Dame Stadium in 1997, then a year later they met again in the Gator Bowl. The Fighting Irish and Yellow Jackets met in the 2006 and 2007 season openers and split both games. Notre Dame holds a 27-6-1 edge in the series.[2]

Miami (Florida)

The rivalry with the University of Miami Hurricanes began in 1955 and through the 1970s was dominated by Notre Dame. Traditionally, it was the season-ending game for the Fighting Irish in odd-numbered years, as they sought to end each season at a warm-weather site. Miami holds the distinction of being the only team to shut out Notre Dame during the Ara Parseghian (0-0 in 1965), Gerry Faust (20-0 in 1983) and Lou Holtz (24-0 in 1987) eras. During the 1980s, this once-docile rivalry became ferocious. Both teams were national contenders in the latter part of the decade, and both teams cost each other at least one national championship. Hostilities were fueled when the Hurricanes routed the Fighting Irish in the 1985 season finale, 58-7, with Miami widely accused of running up the score in the second half. The rivalry gained national attention and both teams played their most famous games from 1988–1990, dubbed the "Catholics vs. Convicts" contests. The first was won by the Fighting Irish, 31-30, with Miami ending Notre Dame's record 23-game winning streak the following year, 27-10. The rivalry ended after the Fighting Irish crushed #2 Miami's hopes for a repeat national championship with a 29-20 victory in South Bend. The Fighting Irish and the Hurricanes met again, in the 2010 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, where Notre Dame routed a self-destructing Miami 33-17.

Notre Dame holds a 16-7-1 edge.[2] They will meet in Soldier Field in 2012, to play each other in the regular season for the first time since 1990 and will renew a yearly home-and-home series starting in 2016.

Ranger I dunno. The Pitt angle was the lure for ND. PITT CAN do that. WVU cannot. Swofford had better hope he has a BIG ACE up his sleeve I would guess. I was led to believe Pitt went to ACC then WVU got the nod. I may be wrong.

That's not accurate from my desk. The most recent round of expansion was (television) market driven, not driven by natural rivalries or by seeking to entice ND. ND's sole influencing factor will continue to be 1) NBC contract and 2) pathway to BCS level/playoff games. Until one of those factors necessitates a change, or until a comparable revenue package is presented, ND will remain independant in football.

Spot on. Notre Dame will not give up independence unless it's at gunpoint.

Agree they will have to if it is 4 conference champ model. I think the question is which league they pick and how powerful that league becomes. IMHO Big 12 still not stable. That is why flirtation with the two acc schools. Now Texas and OU are stable. They know there is a home out there somewhere. Do not be surprised if Big 10 is looking at both. Pac 12 we know wants both.

Agree, that is why it is funny that it is an automatic that they grab UVA and other ACC leftovers. Every school they bring in would have to increase the value to the rest not detract from it. Who is going to pay 60 million a year for UVA and Maryland football?

That is why the ACC TV deal failed, Pitt and Cuse didn't bring in more money and in fact they decreased everyone elses share so it was an epic fail by the Swoff.

As for the stability of the Big 12, keep in mind that there are 5 years left on the current Grant of Rights which was signed last fall. The new TV deal will reportedly extend it to 13 years once it is finalized. Once a team assigns its TV rights to its conference (as the PAC, B1G and Big 12 have done), that conference becomes much more stable.

The ACC does not have a GOR in place but the Big 12 does so it's no coincidence that the Big 12 is now the hunter and the ACC is the prey.

In terms of the SEC wanting to kill the ACC... That could be - but has anyone mentioned or looked into the mysterious disappearance of the Big 12 lawsuit against the SEC over tampering? (A&M and Missouri) That seems to have gone away, so perhaps that was part of the reason the SEC agreed to the bowl. I have no inside information here, just sayin... Has someone already posted about or looked into this?