



When word broke Wednesday morning that Notre Dame had agreed to join the ACC in all sports except football (and hockey of course) but would play five football games a year against the league schools, conventional wisdom pointed to some particular losers.

1. The Big East was doomed.

2. The Big Ten was humiliated.

3. BYU better join a conference, pronto.

We're not being contrarian when we say none of the above is necessarily true. Here's why:

1. This was a good day for the Big East.





A look at reshaped

ACC basketball:







Boston College Clemson Duke Florida State Georgia Tech Maryland Miami North Carolina North Carolina State Notre Dame* Pittsburgh** Syracuse** Virginia Virginia Tech Wake Forest

*Date hasn't been set on official membership

**Scheduled to join in 2013



Seriously, it was. No, losing Notre Dame in basketball and other sports isn't a plus. And yes, it will likely lower the amount of money the Big East can demand in its current television negotiations, but only a little. TV money is about football first and Notre Dame wasn't in the football league. As for basketball, the Irish program is fine, but hardly a big national draw that drove up hoops revenue.

The other developments, missed in the headlines, are far more important.





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First off, ACC commissioner John Swofford clearly stated it has no interest in bringing in a 16th member. Other league sources concur. This ends the threat of the conference raiding the Big East again. Connecticut, Rutgers and Louisville all would've crawled to Greensboro, N.C. for an invite. Now none is coming.

Swofford always targeted Notre Dame, which is why he stopped at 14 members last year adding just Syracuse and Pittsburgh – and put pressure on the Irish. He could've easily gone to 16 by adding Rutgers and UConn, and had his league dominate the East Coast from Boston to Miami.

That was never the plan.

The ACC also agreed to a new $50 million exit fee, the kind of huge number that will prevent a school from jumping anywhere, even the SEC and Big Ten. That means the rumblings about the Big 12 raiding the ACC for Florida State or Clemson are done. Those schools have expressed strong commitment to the ACC (I doubt Clemson ever thought of leaving). There is committed and there is $50 million committed.

So if no one can raid the ACC then the ACC doesn't need to raid the Big East at a later date. Again, this is about stability.

The Big 12 could still come after the Big East's Louisville, Cincinnati or someone else, but that league is adamant, both on and off the record, that it is excited about having just 10 members right now. Everyone from commissioner Bob Bowlsby to Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds has spoken of the advantage of playing a true round robin in football and basketball and avoiding the additional challenge of a conference title football game, which can knock a team out of national title contention.

Besides, the league just signed a huge new television deal. With Notre Dame and any ACC powers now no longer a possibility, there isn't any program out there that would make economic sense to add. Everyone else just waters the league down.

It's just not happening for the foreseeable future. So that bodes well for stability also.

Conference realignment could be entering a quiet period. If so the Big East is in good shape. No, it's not what it once was, but it maintains a strong basketball presence on the East Coast. The additions of Temple and Memphis actually bolster that sport. The Big East tournament is still a big deal, and there are still very strong hoops brands, including UConn, Georgetown, Villanova and so on.

If the Big East wants to add another team, either exclusively hoops or in all sports, then there are candidates. BYU would strengthen both. Xavier would be a big plus competitively in basketball. Massachusetts could add another school in the Northeast.





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The options are endless, and by no longer fearing being hunted, the Big East can take a deep breath and consider its options.

Meanwhile in football, Notre Dame's departure means nothing. Again, it wasn't a football member in the first place.

The Big East now can exhale and see how the new 12-team, coast-to-coast league plays out. It's still adding a signature program in Boise State to a league that will feature Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers, South Florida, UConn, Central Florida, Houston, San Diego State and so on.

Story continues