Spurned nearly a century ago by teams in what is now the Big Ten, Notre Dame athletic director and coach Jesse Harper didn’t stand pat. He put together a schedule that included games at Army, Penn State and Texas. When Notre Dame beat Army 35-13 in 1913, using the then-unorthodox forward pass, the Fighting Irish suddenly had the attention of the national media and Catholic immigrants alike. Harper’s decision to go it alone still resonates today as the Big Ten considers expansion, with the school publicly declaring its love for the independence it considers so key to its football program and academic reputation. “It’s core to who we are,” says Jack Swarbrick, the current athletic director. “It’s so uniquely interwoven with the identity of the school. It played a role in bringing Notre Dame to the national conscience.” Yet Notre Dame’s independence in football may be in jeopardy: With the Big Ten considering adding at least one team to the 11 it has, theories abound whether the most storied name in the sport and possibly its biggest brand will join the fold. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-independentirish
If ND dont join the Big Ten it will kick themselves in the butt when they will be forced to join the ACC or SEC.
