Big 12 Expansion: Any Chance to Get Notre Dame? Two Schools to Target

If and when the Big 12 expands, is there ANY reason to even approach Notre Dame? If not, what two schools should the Big 12 target?

Jul 9, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Big 12 Conference commissioner Brett Yormark speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Big 12 Expand With Notre Dame? ND on SI Noon Question

Last year at this time the Pac-12 was still a thing and the Big 12 was trying to figure out its life choices. Now the Big 12 is big deal, it has four giant new schools in the mix, and it has a whole lot of potential revenue options to do even more.

Is there ANY shot at getting Notre Dame to consider joining? That, and two other schools the Big 12 should look at in our daily ND on SI Noon Question.

- Where would Notre Dame finish in the Big 12?

Notre Dame Big 12 Expansion: Give it a Shot, Big 12

Rich Cirminiello
@RichCirminiello

Notre Dame is firmly committed to football independence. If that changes, the Big 12 would be a di$tant long$hot to land the most coveted free agent program. Still, you have to call Pete Bevacqua and force him to say no.

If Brett Yormark and the Big 12 start poaching again, it’ll be a strategic attempt to enter the right markets and narrow the revenue gap with the Big Ten, SEC, and ACC.

San Diego State and USF would leap at a chance to join a P4 conference. The Big 12 would get a footprint in California while adding the growing Tampa region, which has the 12th largest media market in the country. Plus, the league with so many juicy rivalries would add one more with the War on I-4 between UCF and USF.

Notre Dame Big 12 Expansion: The Money Might Be There, But ...

Pete Fiutak
@PeteFiutak

No, and it's not necessarily for the reasons you might think.

No dogging the fine academic institutions of the Big 12, but if anything, Notre Dame wants to be with Stanford. With Northwestern. With Duke, and Michigan, and Vanderbilt, and ... I'll stop there. (Check out where all the current ACC schools are in the US News & World Report rankings.)

The biggest win for the Big 12 in the latest round of expansion was the landing of the University OF Colorado. OF Utah. OF Arizona. (Hint: There's a reason the Big Ten only goes after the Big Brother schools in each state, UCLA and USC being the obvious exceptions.)

That, and Arizona State is the Phoenix market, as opposed to the large markets the Big 12 had all to itself before the great Pac-12 heist of 2023, which were none - the attention of Houston and Dallas is mostly on Texas and A&M, and Kansas City is part Mizzou in fan base.

The crazy part is that the money might be there. If ol' Yormark really does have those hedge fund ties happening, there's a shot he could off the University of Notre Dame one WHOPPER of a media package.

But no. Notre Dame didn't remain an independent this long just to go the Big 12.

The Big 12 is hardly powerless. Keep expanding. Go get UNLV - the Big 12 would LOVE to make Vegas its base - and San Diego State. AND, just end this. Oregon State and Washington State belong - and fit - in the Big 12.

Notre Dame Big 12 Expansion: No, But Big 12 Has Options

Nick Shepkowski
@NickShepkowski

Listen, I have a better chance of receiving a 1:30 a.m. “U up? ;)” text from Kate Upton than the Big 12 has of landing Notre Dame as a member school.

As the Big 12 continues to expand it has to (maybe) get told no first by Florida State and Clemson, but after it gets that message then going to the northeast and southwest does wonders in expansion.

Go get UConn away from its football independence and land the nation’s top basketball program in doing so. Combine that with San Diego State and the Big 12 member schools will be smiling from sea to shining sea.

Notre Dame on SI Noon Questions

Where would Notre Dame finish in the Big 12?

Notre Dame's best case scenario this season

Notre Dame's worst case scenario this season

Should the Irish open with Texas A&M, or a tune-up?