USF vs Notre Dame?

[Guest HowieP1]

Realignment plays role in Pitt football schedule

Thursday, November 18, 2004

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pitt and Notre Dame's decision to renew their long-standing football series was an important step for Pitt and the Big East. Any Big East team that plays Notre Dame ensures national network television coverage, guaranteeing widespread exposure for the league as it remakes its image in the wake of its recent shakeup.

Since Miami and Virginia Tech left the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East schools knew they needed to secure high-profile non-conference games in order to offset the drop in the caliber of play within the league, which next season loses Boston College to the ACC, subtracts Temple and adds Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida from Conference USA.

If top-shelf Big East teams are going to compete for Bowl Championship Series games, future non-conference schedules must reflect a significant upgrade in difficulty.

"We talk about that as athletic directors," Pitt athletic director Jeff Long said. "We realize as a conference that we need to step up. By and large, we all want to. Now it's about the hard work to get these teams, logistically, to play us."

Long said he has "a couple more" series to announce in the next few months. The contracts are negotiated but a few minor details have to be worked out. He said the series are with other BCS conferences schools.

East commissioner Mike Tranghese said other Big East schools will announce series with the Fighting Irish in the coming weeks or months. Tranghese always has encouraged Notre Dame to play Big East teams in football because the Irish are Big East members in all other sports.

It seems now, with the conference's BCS berth in jeopardy after the 2007 season, that he has pressed Notre Dame more.

"It's great for Pitt, but it's great for our league, too," Tranghese said of the Pitt-Notre Dame renewal.

"It's very valuable. This game every year is going to be carried by a network or will be in ESPN primetime. ... I've had specific conversations with Notre Dame. Notre Dame has been very willing to do it. I think you'll see Notre Dame announce deals with other members. They're just not done yet."

The Pitt-Notre Dame series, which will resume in 2008 and run through 2015, is the first scheduling contract Long worked out in his tenure as athletic director. He said such negotiations can take months or years. Notre Dame and Pitt had been talking off and on for months, but things sped up in the week leading up to the game Saturday -- Pitt won, 41-38, on a last-second field goal -- so the schools decided to announce the renewal game because of the positive publicity it generated.

"Originally, there was so much to get done that I didn't think we would announce it until after the season," Long said. "But when things started to fall in place and it became clear on Notre Dame's end what was going to work, we both agreed it made sense to announce it the week we played, so the fans could get excited about it."

Some schools always have scheduled difficult non-conference games. Syracuse, for example, won't have to change much. This season, the Orange played Purdue, Florida State, Virginia, Cincinnati and Buffalo in non-conference games. But other schools have to get to work and make their schedules more difficult.

It is difficult for Big East teams to schedule non-conference games because the Big East is an eight-team league. That means Big East teams have four home conference games one year and only three the next, which throws off balance non-conference home-and-home series.

"We've always talked about a ninth member," Tranghese said. "But we're not going to take a member just for the sake of getting to nine teams."

Factor in the likelihood of the 12th game legislation being passed in the spring, and scheduling becomes a slippery slope for the Big East. Schools from all BCS conferences are going to have to add games in that case, but Long said the Big Ten and Pac-10 are talking about going to nine-game conference schedules if there is a 12th game, so non-conference games with schools from those leagues are unlikely.

Long also said games against Division I-AA opponents will count toward bowl eligibility every season if some NCAA legislation is passed. That means Pitt fans can probably expect to have I-AA teams on the schedule almost every year.

"I can tell you that a number of high-powered schools are excited about that, and they're excited to get those I-AA schools on the schedule," Long said.

"I think that's something our fans have to get used to. There's not enough games to go around without those I-AA games."

Pitt's future schedules are in flux. Next season, the Panthers play at Ohio and Nebraska and play host to Notre Dame. Long said he would like to add another marquee game, but it's difficult because teams have their schedules made years in advance.

In 2006, the Panthers have home games against Bowling Green, Toledo and Michigan State. Long has another game to add. The Navy series, which was set to resume in '06, has been pushed back and is scheduled to take place from 2007-11. Central Florida and Clemson come on in the following years.

The series Pitt will announce after the season could fill some of those holes, but Long's work is far from done.

"We're having some conversation on it weekly, if not more. It remains in flux," he said. "The conference changes have caused the ACC to look at the balance in their schedule. They're looking to do future scheduling options. I'm trying to strategically look at other places and look and see where a game might be freed up for us

"The kinds of teams we want to schedule are basically booked up at this time. There's just not that much out there to get, unless someone wants to change their existing schedule. There's a lot of wait-and-see out there.

"I'm kind of gambling that something will break for me for in 2005, so I can get a quality opponent. If not, I'm going to have to get a fill opponent. I don't want to do that, but the reality is that I might have to again."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04323/413616.stm

[Cubanbull]

Notre Dame wil have series with Syracuse,West Virginia and Rutgers before considering USF. We are going to a BCS league but we still LACK the name recognition to get those series. All the BE teams including UCONN (because of basketball) are better known to fans around the nation than USF. Thats why we have to take some away games and start winning them to get more national attention.

[USFDan]

I think this is something we'll have to face for a long time and we will not be alone:

Long also said games against Division I-AA opponents will count toward bowl eligibility every season if some NCAA legislation is passed. That means Pitt fans can probably expect to have I-AA teams on the schedule almost every year.

"I can tell you that a number of high-powered schools are excited about that, and they're excited to get those I-AA schools on the schedule," Long said.  

"I think that's something our fans have to get used to. There's not enough games to go around without those I-AA games."

[E.T.]

I think we would get the nod over Rutgers ... the state of FL connection for recruiting and alum.

Go BULLS !!!

[Guest HowieP1]

Notre Dame wil have series with Syracuse,West Virginia and Rutgers before considering USF. We are going to a BCS league but we still LACK the name recognition to get those series. All the BE teams including UCONN (because of basketball) are better known to fans around the nation than USF. Thats why we have to take some away games and start winning them to get more national attention.

Cubanbull...Your point would be well taken if ND was scheduling a series with USF in the next few years.

This article didn't point out WHEN such a series might take place. In fact the series they scheduled with ND runs from 2008-2015:

PITTSBURGH - Notre Dame and Pittsburgh will play annually in football from 2008-15 after a two-year lapse in the 61-game game rivalry in 2006-07.

Even as early as 2008, after playing three years in the Big East, USF will have already made a name for itself.

Since they are scheduling games for the next 10 years, I think we stand a good chance of being one of the Big East teams to get a series with them.

My hunch is that they will try to schedule a two game series with each big East team.

[smazza]

cb- you are right

we have to play some great teams on the road and win

[Guest guest]

You guys are missing the obvious - if all the other NBE teams are playing killer OOC schedules and Woolard and Co. are signing us a bunch of I-AA patsies then we stand a much better chance in conference as we won't be beat up too much like everyone else!

Of course the counter argument to that is by playing all these I-AA bottom feeders we seem hell bent on scheduling, we come in over confident and woefully prepared for the level of competition we will face and we will get our a^^es kicked because we aren't up to speed.

Spin it however you like but know this - USF WILL NOT be playing ND any time soon if ever!

[bulls96go]

lets let the next two years play out

if we do what we are capable of then we will play ND

[Knight_Light]

Realignment plays role in Pitt football schedule

Thursday, November 18, 2004

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pitt and Notre Dame's decision to renew their long-standing football series was an important step for Pitt and the Big East. Any Big East team that plays Notre Dame ensures national network television coverage, guaranteeing widespread exposure for the league as it remakes its image in the wake of its recent shakeup.

Since Miami and Virginia Tech left the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East schools knew they needed to secure high-profile non-conference games in order to offset the drop in the caliber of play within the league, which next season loses Boston College to the ACC, subtracts Temple and adds Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida from Conference USA.

If top-shelf Big East teams are going to compete for Bowl Championship Series games, future non-conference schedules must reflect a significant upgrade in difficulty.

"We talk about that as athletic directors," Pitt athletic director Jeff Long said. "We realize as a conference that we need to step up. By and large, we all want to. Now it's about the hard work to get these teams, logistically, to play us."

Long said he has "a couple more" series to announce in the next few months. The contracts are negotiated but a few minor details have to be worked out. He said the series are with other BCS conferences schools.

East commissioner Mike Tranghese said other Big East schools will announce series with the Fighting Irish in the coming weeks or months. Tranghese always has encouraged Notre Dame to play Big East teams in football because the Irish are Big East members in all other sports.

It seems now, with the conference's BCS berth in jeopardy after the 2007 season, that he has pressed Notre Dame more.

"It's great for Pitt, but it's great for our league, too," Tranghese said of the Pitt-Notre Dame renewal.

"It's very valuable. This game every year is going to be carried by a network or will be in ESPN primetime. ... I've had specific conversations with Notre Dame. Notre Dame has been very willing to do it. I think you'll see Notre Dame announce deals with other members. They're just not done yet."

The Pitt-Notre Dame series, which will resume in 2008 and run through 2015, is the first scheduling contract Long worked out in his tenure as athletic director. He said such negotiations can take months or years. Notre Dame and Pitt had been talking off and on for months, but things sped up in the week leading up to the game Saturday -- Pitt won, 41-38, on a last-second field goal -- so the schools decided to announce the renewal game because of the positive publicity it generated.

"Originally, there was so much to get done that I didn't think we would announce it until after the season," Long said. "But when things started to fall in place and it became clear on Notre Dame's end what was going to work, we both agreed it made sense to announce it the week we played, so the fans could get excited about it."

Some schools always have scheduled difficult non-conference games. Syracuse, for example, won't have to change much. This season, the Orange played Purdue, Florida State, Virginia, Cincinnati and Buffalo in non-conference games. But other schools have to get to work and make their schedules more difficult.

It is difficult for Big East teams to schedule non-conference games because the Big East is an eight-team league. That means Big East teams have four home conference games one year and only three the next, which throws off balance non-conference home-and-home series.

"We've always talked about a ninth member," Tranghese said. "But we're not going to take a member just for the sake of getting to nine teams."

Factor in the likelihood of the 12th game legislation being passed in the spring, and scheduling becomes a slippery slope for the Big East. Schools from all BCS conferences are going to have to add games in that case, but Long said the Big Ten and Pac-10 are talking about going to nine-game conference schedules if there is a 12th game, so non-conference games with schools from those leagues are unlikely.

Long also said games against Division I-AA opponents will count toward bowl eligibility every season if some NCAA legislation is passed. That means Pitt fans can probably expect to have I-AA teams on the schedule almost every year.

"I can tell you that a number of high-powered schools are excited about that, and they're excited to get those I-AA schools on the schedule," Long said.

"I think that's something our fans have to get used to. There's not enough games to go around without those I-AA games."

Pitt's future schedules are in flux. Next season, the Panthers play at Ohio and Nebraska and play host to Notre Dame. Long said he would like to add another marquee game, but it's difficult because teams have their schedules made years in advance.

In 2006, the Panthers have home games against Bowling Green, Toledo and Michigan State. Long has another game to add. The Navy series, which was set to resume in '06, has been pushed back and is scheduled to take place from 2007-11. Central Florida and Clemson come on in the following years.

The series Pitt will announce after the season could fill some of those holes, but Long's work is far from done.

"We're having some conversation on it weekly, if not more. It remains in flux," he said. "The conference changes have caused the ACC to look at the balance in their schedule. They're looking to do future scheduling options. I'm trying to strategically look at other places and look and see where a game might be freed up for us

"The kinds of teams we want to schedule are basically booked up at this time. There's just not that much out there to get, unless someone wants to change their existing schedule. There's a lot of wait-and-see out there.

"I'm kind of gambling that something will break for me for in 2005, so I can get a quality opponent. If not, I'm going to have to get a fill opponent. I don't want to do that, but the reality is that I might have to again."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04323/413616.stm

Notre Dame is looking for HOME FOOTBALL GAMES only more so in the future.

ND has already announced that they will go from 6 home games a year to at least 7...and sometimes 8 home games per year.

They are ended some of their home-home rivalries...and are interested in almost any team that wants to travel to South Bend...but without a home game in return.

ND had already announced that they are trying to make their future schedules "easier"...not have as many home-home vs Big 10/SEC/ACC Teams...and only keep a few tradition home-home...and fill out future schedules with just ND  HOME GAMES.

KL

[WoolyBully]

Well...ND is in a position to dictate that sort of scheduling.  And it's not bad to travel to ND, even if you don't get a home game in return. Kind of like going to Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc. knowing that the odds of ever seeing them here at the ranch are extremely remote.