Potential 12th Members for the Big Ten

On Friday, Wisconsin Athletic Director, Barry Alvarez stated that the Big Ten will begin a more serious search for a 12th member so the conference can break into divisions and host a conference championship game similar to the SEC, Big 12, and ACC (Link). I for one can't wait for this to happen and don't really understand why this hasn't happened sooner other than Jim Delaney and the rest of the Conference is greedy and enjoy the money they get from having 2 teams into the BCS Bowls almost yearly. Let's take a look at the possible candidates who most Big Ten fans want, what is most logical and what would be a desperate move.

Let's start with the most ideal situation for most Big Ten fans and that would be Notre Dame joining the Big Ten. It benefits Notre Dame not so much from an athletic standpoint but more from an academic standpoint. As long as Notre Dame is receiving the BCS money and exemption, they have no reason to join the Big Ten for Football and other sports. They reportedly receive less money from NBC than Big Ten schools reportedly receive from the Big Ten Network, so the whole NBC contract argument isn't really worth much. This whole move is unlikely unless the Irish are for some reason held out of the BCS unless they join a conference.

Moving on to the more logical schools that fit both academically and athletically we have, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers. All four of those schools have a fit academically which the Big Ten presidents will look for, and are all good enough in football and other sports to compete in the Big Ten. What else they bring to the table is expansion for the Big Ten Network which in turn would bring in more revenue, especially if the school is Rutgers or Syracuse with the New York market.

Now on to the desperate move that no one is talking about because it is hardly a fit at all. That would be Memphis and the only reason I am including them in this is because they have recently hired a company to find them a new conference to join. If the Big Ten wanted to take the greedy route and just add a team for the Conference Championship game and sponsorship money, then Memphis is the best choice. They don't fit academically nor would they compete well in football.

Overall, this is a move that needs to be made but making the right choice is one that is going to be very difficult and a very long time to figure out. The likely choice is Rutgers or Syracuse, and if they don't get either of those schools I don't see expansion happening until Notre Dame is told to find a conference and comes knocking on the Big Ten's door.

Charlie Weis Fired, Who's Next for the Irish?

Charlie Weis was fired today, much to the surprise of absolutely no one. I think he got a fair shot to keep his job, and he has absolutely no one to blame but himself. It came down to the fact that Notre Dame did not have a defense that could stop anybody and relied too much on its offense to bail them out of games. Weis put a target squarely on his large back when he said 6-5 wasn't good enough for Notre Dame and that the Irish would have a schematic advantage every week.

With Weis being fired it gives the media the opportunity to debate whether or not Notre Dame is still a great job to have in the world of college football. I think it is, of course my opinion is biased as I am a Notre Dame fan. It's not as great as it used to be in the past when Notre Dame was one of the few programs on television every week. But it's still a great place to go to school and to play football. The facilities there are top notch and the fans there really care about their football. The next coach for the Irish will be given incredible talent to coach, even more so if they can convince Jimmy Clausen to stay for his senior year.

I think the next coach for Notre Dame has to be someone with head coaching experience and I think when it's all said and done it will come down to these three candidates:

Urban Meyer: I know he's already said that he's staying at Florida for as long as the Gators want him, but I still think the Irish have to talk to Meyer and see if he can be convinced. Meyer loses Tebow this year and may want to take on the challenge that will be Notre Dame. The Irish have to give Meyer a call and see what his true feelings are and make sure he wasn't just putting up smokescreens to avoid being a distraction for his team while they are trying to win a National Title.

Brian Kelly: I think he's probably the guy who gets the job and might be the best shot at convincing Clausen to come back for one more year. He's been a winner at every program he has taken over and given the talent that Notre Dame is able to bring in he might win in his first year. Cincinnati, while a good program will never get the attention it may deserve because they compete in the same state as Ohio State and it makes sense that Kelly uses this undefeated season as a stepping stone to a bigger program.

Gary Patterson: This is the candidate that I wish Notre Dame would hire. I think the Irish should hire him because of the defense that his TCU Horned Frogs have been playing the past 2 years. The Irish have had a high octane offense for the past 5 years that Weis was there but the biggest problem was they couldn't stop anyone. Defense wins championships and that's what is expected at Notre Dame. TCU has gone undefeated this season yet they will probably not play in the National Championship game. An undefeated season for Notre Dame would undoubtedly put the Irish in the title game and if the Irish came calling I think Patterson would listen and strongly consider the offer.