There are a couple of reasons, I think.
One is that ND has never really been a regional team with a regional fan base (and conferences are, by definition, regional). Before the team was dubbed "the Fighting Irish" in 1920-something, they were known as "the Ramblers" because of the fact that they travelled so extensively. Our biggest rival is USC, for example, and that's a remnant of that era. Consequently, the fan base for ND is very well dispersed.
A nice side-effect of this, and though it's not a "reason" per se, inasmuch as I'm sure decision makers at ND don't put too much consideration into it when the conference question is raised, is that ND can schedule all kinds of different teams since we're not tied to playing 5 or 6 conference games every year. Next year, for example, we pick up Ga Tech, PSU, UNC and UCLA. The only real constants on the ND schedule are Purdue (in-state rivals), USC and Navy (which has a pretty good story behind the series - ask me if you're curious).
And there's money, of course - the contract with NBC has been renewed through the 2010 season, by the way, and ND isn't required to share any of that money (or merchandizing or any other revenue).
Now. before laying the smackdown about ND greed - consider this: ND doesn't have a separate athletic budget - money from the TV contract (and the occasional disasterous bowl appearance) goes into the school's general funding and pays for everything from scholarships and salaries to facilities and the occasional particle accelerator.
Keep in mind that ND has a *tiny* enrollment - about 6,000 students - and isn't funded by the Church even supplementally. Donations from alums and boosters might be significant, but I can guarantee you those checks couldn't possibly pay for even 6 months of the operational budget of ND's HEP Lab.
I think it ultimately comes down to that - ND football joining a conference would mean a big drop-off in revenue for the school which, in turn, would directly affect the academic environment.
I've been able to glean quite a bit from friends at the University concerning this and while it's not specific "insider" knowledge on the reasons for not joining a conference, I tend to think It's not too far off the mark.
IRISH!
GBR!
One is that ND has never really been a regional team with a regional fan base (and conferences are, by definition, regional). Before the team was dubbed "the Fighting Irish" in 1920-something, they were known as "the Ramblers" because of the fact that they travelled so extensively. Our biggest rival is USC, for example, and that's a remnant of that era. Consequently, the fan base for ND is very well dispersed.
A nice side-effect of this, and though it's not a "reason" per se, inasmuch as I'm sure decision makers at ND don't put too much consideration into it when the conference question is raised, is that ND can schedule all kinds of different teams since we're not tied to playing 5 or 6 conference games every year. Next year, for example, we pick up Ga Tech, PSU, UNC and UCLA. The only real constants on the ND schedule are Purdue (in-state rivals), USC and Navy (which has a pretty good story behind the series - ask me if you're curious).
And there's money, of course - the contract with NBC has been renewed through the 2010 season, by the way, and ND isn't required to share any of that money (or merchandizing or any other revenue).
Now. before laying the smackdown about ND greed - consider this: ND doesn't have a separate athletic budget - money from the TV contract (and the occasional disasterous bowl appearance) goes into the school's general funding and pays for everything from scholarships and salaries to facilities and the occasional particle accelerator.
Keep in mind that ND has a *tiny* enrollment - about 6,000 students - and isn't funded by the Church even supplementally. Donations from alums and boosters might be significant, but I can guarantee you those checks couldn't possibly pay for even 6 months of the operational budget of ND's HEP Lab.
I think it ultimately comes down to that - ND football joining a conference would mean a big drop-off in revenue for the school which, in turn, would directly affect the academic environment.
I've been able to glean quite a bit from friends at the University concerning this and while it's not specific "insider" knowledge on the reasons for not joining a conference, I tend to think It's not too far off the mark.
IRISH!
GBR!