Why does Notre Dame get special treatment in the BCS??

[Spence]

Actually all BCS conferences share cash whether they go to a bowl or not. But I understand the thought.

Welcome to the CFP board.

[mountainman]

Yep, you're right and most around here are aware of the deal the Irish have with the BCS, NBC, etc.

I believe the answer to your question is because Notre Dame has by far the largest fan following in the nation ..... hands down.

Welcome to the forum.

[billybud]

Ahhh...everybody loves to hate the Irish....they have their own network and are on TV every week....they have tradition...they play an independent nationwide schedule ranging from USC to Michigan to Florida State.

They invoke jealousy...envy....

[Spence]

Very true, they invoke mine. Probably the only team in the nation who does. I'm trying to work through it though.

[mountainman]

1988 .... The Fiesta Bowl ....... Final Score 34-21.

I still, to this day, have not gotten over it.

[billybud]

2003....FSU 37-0 over Notre Dame in South Bend....I will pass the tape to my grandkids when I have them.

[Spence]

I have the tapes of the last three Buckeye wins over ND. It doesn't make me like them better. The two times they beat us was before the invention of video tape so there is no evidence on the game. We deny it happened.

[billybud]

LOL.....I see Spence....I had that figured out since no Buckeye fan that I've talked to remembers FSU coming to the Shoe in back to back years...

I did make the trip to Columbus in '81....I was stunned. We, at the time, could put 40,000 in our stands (not really a stadium yet) and routinely had 25-30 thousand at a game. I could not believe the size of the Shoe and the number of fans. Buckeyes treated us royally. We couldn't buy our own drink anywhere...folks would send them to the table, pick up the tab, etc. Very impressive hospitality. Made me feel guilty for being a Buckeye hater (the burden that I've accepted from my Michigan grad father).

[colorado_loves_football]

Why do the irish get the red carpet to a BCS bowl and loads of guaranteed money every year and no other college has a similar honey deal?

In a word, "excellence". No other team compares with them, from a traditionalist's perspective. Many have tried, few have accomplished it. I credit FSU & Bobby Bowden for establishing their own tradition. N.C. St's Chuck Amato has patterned his team off of the Seminoles. But, Notre Dame stands along in football lore. They have no equal. They march to a different drummer, and for good reason, since they have no equal. Nobody else compares with their history & tradition, in my opinion.

Why are they guaranteed one of the at-large slots in a BCS bowl if they are ranked No. 8 or better in the final BCS standings. They are also guaranteed annual payment for its participation in the BCS. In those seasons in which the Irish play in a BCS bowl game, the school will receive $4.5 million (an amount equivalent to that received by a conference that places a second team in a BCS bowl). In those seasons in which Notre Dame does not play in a BCS bowl game, it is projected to be paid $1.3 million for its participation in the BCS arrangement. Get that?? Just to be in the BCS.....Does your school get anything if they go 2-9 or 0-11? ND gets 1.3 million.

I believe that was a 'compromise', unless I'm mistaken. Prior to the BCS, the Bowl Alliance would sometimes take Notre Dame, even if they were 'bowl eligible' (1995 Fiesta Bowl). Prior to the 'revision' Notre Dame only had to finish ranked #10 or higher, to be assured a bid. In effect, they are held to a different standard, a 'higher' one, if you can believe it, but the 'reward' is disproportionate ,in their favor, as it always has been.

NO ONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY GETS THIS DEAL..... WHY?? ND has not been near a national championship in years. They didn't even have a winning record a few years. This is a travesty and should be stopped.

The idea, I suppose is to give them an 'advantage'. Why? I guess it's because they have 'earned' it in some people's minds. And, where-ever they go, they draw a huge crowd. There is a 'intangible' that accompanies their participation, anywhere. The N.D. 'mystique'.

[colorado_loves_football]

I don't necessarily have a problem with what you're saying other than the fact its' complete hogwash. W. Kentucky will be joining the Sun-Belt in 2009, putting the I-A 'tally' at 120. A more likely proposition is ten, 12-team conferneces, which is at the 'heart' of my proposal. There is nothing I can think of, ohter than your 'so-called' opinion that is holding it together. I think we can all agree that anything posted here, should be 'validated' in some manner, so that we don't have to 'uncover' the truth. But, I don't necessarily have a problem with 8 conferences, if they are composed of 16 teams, each. That would work, pretty well, problem is, its' not likely to happen very soon, if ever. A more likely proposition is for 10, 12-team conferences, which coincidentally will likely be the aggregate number of teams, I-A, 2010 (W. Kentucky committed, 2009).

[Spence]

LOL.....I see Spence....I had that figured out since no Buckeye fan that I've talked to remembers FSU coming to the Shoe in back to back years...

I did make the trip to Columbus in '81....I was stunned. We, at the time, could put 40,000 in our stands (not really a stadium yet) and routinely had 25-30 thousand at a game. I could not believe the size of the Shoe and the number of fans. Buckeyes treated us royally. We couldn't buy our own drink anywhere...folks would send them to the table, pick up the tab, etc. Very impressive hospitality. Made me feel guilty for being a Buckeye hater (the burden that I've accepted from my Michigan grad father).

We absolutely deny it happened when we get beat in the 'Shoe. Just wait 4 or 5 years and we will tell you Texas was never in Ohio Stadium, but oh what a game we played at their house in '06. We will talk about that all day. Selective memory is a great thing.

I'm glad you had a good experience in Columbus. We have some good fans and some bad ones, like everyone else. It is just luck of the draw which side that you get to see. The only stadium I have ever been in where it is bad every time is Camp Randall in Wisconsin. You never want to take your family on a trip there.

[billybud]

I have been to Baton Rouge four times....no problems other than muddy parking in the rain once. Fans treated us well. But maybe times have changed of late.

We always go eat at Breaux Bridge...great Cajun food

[Spence]

No I have never been there. Most of my experience comes from B-10 venues and some bowl sites.

[Derek]

Georgia 17
ND 10

1981 Sugar Bowl

NEVER will forget that game...9 years old and GLUED to the TV.

[Spence]

That kind of stuff really chaps me. If I am with some friends and something like that happens, no big deal. It is part of it. If you are with your kids you should be left alone. No one should get obnoxious in front of little kids. That is when the stupid drunk fan gets himself a ticket to the hospital.