Notre Dame, Ball State set date for first-ever football game

[Dr_billy_badass]

I hate that I'm doing this, because I don't like bringing up things about other teams on this board and prefer to focus on Purdue... but seriously... they can't make it work with us, but Ball State makes sense? I'm baffled, please someone explain to me?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-n

 

[boiler17]

We want a home amd home with them,

BSU is just happy to be on the schedule

 

[nat100]

Originally posted by boiler17:
We want a home amd home with them,

BSU is just happy to be on the schedule

Bingo
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Dr_billy_badass]

Yeah I guess that makes sense... just crazy to me. I knew they were going to get some cupcakes but didn't think their fans would be happy spending all this money on BSU. I guess the same can be said for UMASS, Temple, and Miami of Ohio coming in... Guess i'm not used to the quality being this low, but I bet if I looked back, it would be there.

 

[BoilerBiker]

Skimming their board, I think many of them are finally coming to the realization that nd will need to join the acc or some conference.
These types of games just align them more like everyone one else's schedule if/when they join.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[SDBoiler1]

ND's football program and fanbase is full of hypocrites. For years, they lampooned BIG schools for playing MAC schools, now suddenly they are doing it.

Why? Because they realize they want to recruit IN and cherry pick the best players. Having games like this fits into their narrative. They also realize that their schedule is tougher by virtue of having to play a quasi-conference schedule in the ACC.

The worst part is that I think they are actually afraid that teams like Purdue are going to become good again, and once they do it will be harder to get guys out of IN they want, like when Tiller was the coach.

 

[tommika]

I don't know,Billy, the quality doesn't seem all that low to me,(an obvious homer) but this year the SOS for the Irish is around #7,that's not bad. And upcoming schedules look pretty good also.

Irish will play Purdue down the line.

 

[boiler17]

Tend to agree on schedules at least the last couple years.

ND has stepped it up, and are just abandoning their midwest roots in favor of playing schools in CA, TX, and FL. Its a smart move on their part. Most of my anger/frustration with them has actually disappated because, with their improved scheduling, if they get hype in November, they have earned it.

The media has also done a much better job of treating them like any other team. Short of some slobber mouthed old man that no longer belongs on TV.

 

[Dr_billy_badass]

Overall, I think the quality is still pretty high, but it just seems like over the last few years the outliers have been creeping in. Including this year, over the last 6 years there have been about 6 teams below that I normally wouldn't equate as a typical ND opponent. And some other borderline ones that have decent histories so they kind of make sense. I think it's been mostly focused by recruiting areas, but there has to be better teams to cherry pick.

UMASS
Rice
Temple
South Florida ( which I think was actually at a high point at the time?
Western Michigan
Tulsa

In the upcoming years, of the known schedule, you have what seems to go back up because of the need to have ACC teams, but still have teams like Temple, Ball State, Miami (OH), schedueled.

I'm not saying that they are really dumbing down the schedule too much because they've also added games like Texas, Georgia, and others in strategic recruiting areas, but as ticket prices and such climb and they are going to try to sell MAC teams and the like as home games... that's going to be tough pill to swallow for some home fans. Especially at the end of the day when they could have tried to make Purdue work there instead. Which quality wise may not be much better team wise at this point, but revenue and interest would be much higher.

 

[boiler17]

Originally posted by Dr_billy_badass:
Overall, I think the quality is still pretty high, but it just seems like over the last few years the outliers have been creeping in. Including this year, over the last 6 years there have been about 6 teams below that I normally wouldn't equate as a typical ND opponent. And some other borderline ones that have decent histories so they kind of make sense. I think it's been mostly focused by recruiting areas, but there has to be better teams to cherry pick.

UMASS
Rice
Temple
South Florida ( which I think was actually at a high point at the time?
Western Michigan
Tulsa

In the upcoming years, of the known schedule, you have what seems to go back up because of the need to have ACC teams, but still have teams like Temple, Ball State, Miami (OH), schedueled.

I'm not saying that they are really dumbing down the schedule too much because they've also added games like Texas, Georgia, and others in strategic recruiting areas, but as ticket prices and such climb and they are going to try to sell MAC teams and the like as home games... that's going to be tough pill to swallow for some home fans. Especially at the end of the day when they could have tried to make Purdue work there instead. Which quality wise may not be much better team wise at this point, but revenue and interest would be much higher.

Perhaps. As long as they are playing the 5 ACC games and adding in games like Texas and Georgia, I dont mind it at all if they add in a few Ball States.

Im pretty sure the Domers never really respected Purdue. As a Purdue fan, that was the one game a year I cared about far and away more than any other. When I went to ND, I would hear sons say stuff like "Dad, is Purdue a rival?", and the Dad would counter back with "...A local one". I would be surprised if they didnt think of us in the same breath as Pitt. A average, sometimes decent team, that should ND lose to them it says more about ND than it does Pitt/Purdue.

 

[BoilerBiker]

nd's swarbrick suggesting a split ncaa - those who want to pay players, and those who don't.
i can't see that working out for the division consisting of nd, northwestern, duke, vandy, etc.

split ncaa - amateur & semi-pro

 

[Caryquad]

Swarbrick's recommendation makes sense -- the slim is college athletics is getting worse and worse.

NC would feature the non-academic vs academic. As long as the academic schools can prepare kids for the NFL they might be competitive

 

[TwinDegrees2]

Originally posted by Dr_billy_badass:
I hate that I'm doing this, because I don't like bringing up things about other teams on this board and prefer to focus on Purdue... but seriously... they can't make it work with us, but Ball State makes sense? I'm baffled, please someone explain to me?

Ball U can use the money.

 

[LeadBLKR]

ND just wants to play a competitive game.

 

[ProudToBeND]

Not a huge fan of it, but Ohio State has proven you can play an awful schedule and still make it into the playoffs. Their schedule this year is pathetic.

Overall, ND's schedule is pretty damn difficult. Also, the South Florida, UMass, Ball State, etc. all have a few things in-common - ND connections. ND is helping out their own in all those situations. The Ball State one may not even happen.

The BIG teams relationship was going to end no matter what - it was only a matter of time. Between the new BIG scheduling and ND's ACC obligations - it is what it is.

 

[PrintersRowBoiler]

7th SOS? Statistically by the NCAA method their schedule is ranked 61st (purdue is 6th).

 

[PaBoiler78]

7th SOS? Statistically by the NCAA method their schedule is ranked 61st (purdue is 6th).

psu's out of conference games this year are at Temple, then Buffalo, SDSU, and Army at home.