While the conversation about Big 12 expansion continues to swirl, a former Big 12 coach has made it clear that he believes all Power 5 conferences should be forced to have a conference championship game, and that if Notre Dame wants a piece of the College Football Playoff pie, the Irish should be made to join one of those conferences.
Missouri’s Gary Pinkel has lost two conference title games since the Tigers left the Big 12 to join the SEC, so it’s certainly understandable why he would tell ESPN’s Brett McMurphy that he believes “it’s real important that all (Power 5) conferences have a championship game.”
Pinkel also went on to voice another popular opinion that it’s time for traditional independent Notre Dame to join one of the Power 5 leagues if they want to be considered for a spot in the College Football Playoff at the end of each season. “Give Notre Dame a year to join a league,” Pinkel said. “They don’t have independents in (the) NFL.”
While Notre Dame has a partnership with the ACC in other sports, the Irish, along with BYU, remain the most high-profile independents in college football. And as long as ND retains their lucrative television deal with NBC, it’s going to be very difficult for anyone to persuade the Irish to join a conference and have to divvy up TV earnings with 11 other schools.
So, Irish fans, what’s more important to you? Television money, or the chance to win a national championship? Because as we saw with TCU and Baylor last season, the CFP committee seems to have no problem penalizing good teams who don’t have the extra test of a league title game at the end of their schedule.
It’s difficult to imagine Notre Dame moving to join a league anytime soon, but certainly the brain trust in South Bend is aware of the issues involved with staying independent, so hopefully there’s some thinking going on under those golden domes.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
