Notre Dame is not what it used to be, and it really doesn't make since to only have one school team not in the Big East. If they joined the Big East they would still be in the BCS hunt since the Big East is a BCS conference. They would have to earn their right to play in the championship game, and it would give the Big East more respect as a football conference with Notre Dame added.

There are twelve games a year, so it still gives Notre Dame a chance to play teams like Navy, USC, and Michigan. Navy is the only one they are supposed to play every year, so the other teams they wouldn't have to play every year.

Plus since the rest of the school teams are in the Big East it makes more since for them to join the Big East instead of the Big Ten.

No, Financial questions aside, being an Independent allows Notre Dame the flexibility to schedule games against its many traditional rivals (USC, Michigan, Michigan St., Purdue, Navy, Boston College). It also allows them to play a national schedule which is consistently one of the toughest in the nation. While there are ocassional cupcakes on the schedule, like North Carolina or Nevada, and while Notre Dame would be a good fit for either the Big Ten (geographically, plus many shared rivalries) or the Big East (their home for all other sports), as this year's student section shirt indicates, Notre Dame is all about "Tradition", and they have a tradition of being one of the longest standing (if not the longest) independents in college football.

and bring down the level of competition in the big east?

Notre Dame should join the Ivy League,since they can't beat anyone

Its just a part of tradition for ND football to be independent.

The Big Ten has been trying to get ND football to join for years, to be that 12th team for a conference championship game. Still they want independence.

Notre Dame will never join a conference due to their independent TV contract, the revenue from which they share with no one. They may not be winning, but their not fools either.

I don't see Notre Dame doing it. They'll start out with 8 conference games (because there would be 9 Big East teams). Then they cannot fit in Navy, USC, Michigan, Boston College, Purdue and their other rivals and still have room for new teams.

Besides that, Notre Dame is always overrated in the polls and cannot get BCS Bowl Games to lose unless they are an independent. For example, they played 4 legitimate teams last year (Penn State, Michigan, USC, and the Bowl against LSU) and lost to all except Penn State, yet still got into a BCS Bowl. If they had to play the likes of Rutgers, West Virginia, Louisville, Connecticut, Cincinnati, and South Florida on a more frequent basis, there is no way Notre Dame would have winning seasons very often.

Penn State's decision to join the Big 10 was not a good one as they only have 1 undefeated season since joining and that year they were unable to play in the national title game because the Big 10 and Pac-10 weren't in the BCS. Notre Dame would struggle alot more if they were in a conference.

It would make best sense for ND to join the big ten since they play several of the Big Ten teams (Mich, Mich St, Purdue and Penn State). By the way, how bad is UCLA and the PAC10? ND's only win?

It makes absolutely no sense for Notre Dame to join any conference. The University has its own television deal with NBC, they support themselves, and joining a conference would only hurt them because they would have to compete within a conference. As it stands right now, they only have to have a winning record and they will be BCS eligible.

It a part of Notre Dame tradition to remain independent. By being independent Notre Dame has more rivals as it does not limit the schools you play to those in your conference. Nothats O is right about the Big Ten trying to get Notre Dame to join but they always remain true to independence. Plus Notre Dame is now a member of the Big East in all other sports except for fencing, hockey, and lacrosse as the Big East does not sponsor those sports so it would not make sense if they join the Big Ten for football only.

Nope, I don't think they should join the Big East because they chose to be independent from any football conference. Yet, in any year, probably not this year, if they finish in the top 8 of the final BCS standings, they'll receive an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game.