What Notre Dame's addition means for FSU and ACC

Well, well...Notre Dame has finally stopped sleeping around and settled down with the ACC...sort of. After being wined and dined by all the Big Boys (except the SEC whose self-love would not allow such a dalliance) The Irish have "committed" to join the ACC (which today stands for Adding Cash Cow) in all sports but football...where they will to playing 5 games against ACC schools each year. This seems like a very tenuous "engagement" where the Irish accept the ring (probably like a ten carat blue diamond) but will see how the courtship goes before actually walking down the aisle and committing to putting it's prized football program in the marriage. Hey if it will keep FSU from bludgeoning Savannah State each year...I'm for it. Obviously the ACC begged the Irish to fully commit right now but the ACC is clearly negotiating from a weakened position. They haven't won a BCS bowl game since Lee Corso stopped dropping F-Bombs on Gameday. Clearly these are two national brands that are trending down joining forces hoping to be relevant again in the national conversation. It's kind of like a chick that used to be super hot dating a dude that used to have sick money. They are both using each other to get their grove back but clearly the Irish got the better of this negotiation. Just like in life...the hot chick usually gets what she wants! The question is...do the Irish get a full share of league revenues and TV money? My guess is yes...based on my previous point about hot chicks. The ACC just signed a 3.6 billion dollar deal with ESPN in May that will pay each school 17.1 million after Pittsburgh and Syracuse come aboard. I wonder if that deal gets renegotiated and exactly how much more money the ACC will make bringing those 5 annual football games into the mix? The ACC isn't talking about any of this just yet...which means it probably got fleeced!

It's a great deal for the ACC because it adds the Chicago TV market and a large national following. With 5 ACC teams on the Irish schedule every year it will seem like they are in the family anyway. The Irish will help sell lagging ACC season ticket packages the years they grace an ACC campus with their ethereal presence. From an academic side...as if that matters anymore...the ACC official statement included this little tidbit for the idiots who still think any of this matters when it comes to big time college football;

With the addition of Notre Dame, The ACC's future memberships includes 11 institutions ranked among the top 58 in the US News and World Report survey of "America's Best Colleges", more than any other conference also competing at the highest level athletically.
Who cares! Where do they rank in the Top 25!

That little mantra will justify the hypocritical ACC presidents lavish hotel bills at the annual "let's all get together at a swanky seaside resort with our families and charge it to the conference" ACC meetings this summer. Where we will overhear the inevitable refrain "Have another glass of 50 year old scotch Thurmond and let's toast our brilliance to bringing in Notre Dame!

For FSU this is certainly a good thing. It brings in a member that actually cares about football! An annual game with Notre Dame would certainly be in the Noles' best interest. When the 2 squared off in last years Champps Sports Bowl in Orlando fans actually paid hundreds of dollars to sit in that dumpster of a stadium and the game got huge national ratings. With the Florida and Miami games now relegated to 3rd tier TV status both programs need a game with this kind of national cache'. Huge win for FSU here. Oh...and don't forget about the Notre Dame women's soccer team! 3 time national champions! That will be a huge showdown for the Noles top ranked team!

The other announcement that flew under the radar but shouldn't was that the league voted to increase the exit fee to about $50 million! That should keep the Noles and Clemson from running to the SEC for more money. By the way...when you look at the ACC current roster with Notre Dame coming in...how really out of place do Clemson and FSU look? They're like the 2 Deep South cool cats that show up at the party in nice jeans, no tie and a killer sport coat while the other guys wear Brooks Brothers and bow ties! But I digress. Adding Notre Dame and an exit fee with teeth brings gravitas and stability to a league that suddenly looks much more relevant and economically strong. Just imagine if Miami, FSU, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame can all regain their national prominence in football and suddenly you have a very strong football base and national presence...even if one of the ladies still has a wandering eye!