Notre Dame to join Big 1G???

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NCAA FOOTBALL: Source: Notre Dame joins Big Ten for all athletics
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SOUTH BEND ? With the current landscape of college football in disarray, The University of Notre Dame has decided to end its independence and join the Big Ten Conference. Under condition of anonymity, a high-ranking Big Ten official has confirmed that the Fighting Irish have applied to join the conference, as early as the 2013 football season. "We have been waiting a long time for this," said the official.

Notre Dame, no stranger to conference membership, has been a member of the Big East since 1995 for all sports except for football, where it is independent, and Men's Ice Hockey, where it is a member of the soon ending CCHA. This will be a big blow to the Big East, having already lost conference members Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and potentially Connecticut to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Amidst rumors of "Super Conferences" of up to 24 teams if Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference merger takes place, the Irish decided to act swiftly in their application to the Big Ten before any potential vacancies are filled by Big XII schools Iowa State and Missouri. Pacific-12's recent decision to not expand put additional pressure on Notre Dame to join the Big Ten. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech were rumored to seek inclusion in the Big Ten following the surprising announcement from Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott. "We feel this is the perfect time to end our football independents (sic)," a member of the Irish board of regents said in a reply to one of our texts.

Although the Big Ten seemingly is a natural fit for the Irish, it is reported that they had explored joining other conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Ivy League. The ACC declined interest in Notre Dame citing geographical concerns. Meanwhile, several sources within the Ivy League have confirmed Notre Dame's interest, but stated that concerns of competitive balance as well as academic issues were a major roadblock to their joining. "The Ivy League does not allow athletic scholarships," remarked one source close to the situation, "so Notre Dame would have to basically reconfigure their entire athletic department".

Many students at Notre Dame were not surprised at this recent development, but it left them wondering what would happen to current rivalries. Concerns over the potential loss of traditional opponents Southern Cal and Stanford as well as annual matches against the service academies Army, Navy, Air Force, and the United States Coast Guard dominated conversation in South Bend on Tuesday.

Big Ten Athletic Directors and University Presidents are expected to vote on Notre Dame as early as Monday.