My Sept. 13 column from CBS Chicago …
(CBS) It passed on the Big Ten’s TV millions. It passed on aligning itself with the familiarity of many of its most traditional rivals. And it passed on the region where its campus is based – although some Fighting Irish fans might tell you that, you know, Notre Dame doesn’t really reside here in the Midwest.
It levitates above it.
But with Fighting Irish football finally – and finally – passing on any chance of membership in the Big Ten Conference with the school’s decision to kinda, sorta join the ACC instead, what will that pass on to Jim Delany’s favorite league?
For many folks, it’s probably a sense of relief as the Big Ten’s honchos, schools and fans no longer have to play the “will-they-or-won’t-they” guessing game about the Fighting Irish linking up with the league. Clearly, the answer now is: They won’t. Ever.
In my playbook, though, Notre Dame’s choice to look eastward for a stable home rather than show respect to the proud conference its own backyard is a disappointment.
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