FanNation - The Republic of Sport

WOW!!

Really 55 thousand people. I didn't know that many people lived around Rutgers.

Oops, APPROXIMATELY, so really it might be CLOSE to 55 thousand, they don't know for sure.

Do you think 100,000 people live around Penn State? It's called commuting.

Notre Dame is really trying to weaken their schedules. Notice the amount of "neutral" site games the Irish are trying to create instead of true road games? It doesn't take a genius to figure out the games are hardly "neutral" as Irish fans will greatly outnumber the opposition. It appears ND is searching for a schedule of all home games that will result in more BCS Bowl beatdowns.

Rutgers is doing the right thing by making this decision. 1. Don't let Notre Dame dictate to you what they want (like UConn has let them do). 2. You're already ticking off a lot of New Jersey residents with the stadium expansion money still needed in the midst of a state in financial hell, so you had better play those games in it.

Chi Town Steve: I'm not a Rutgers fan really, but what in the world (or in Notre Dame's recent seasons) makes you think playing Rutgers equals Notre Dame "weakening" its schedule? An ND-RU matchup would be a very close (but poorly played) game in 2008 and likely beyond.

Hey steve,

Why should ND always have one of the toughest schedules every year, when all you need to do is win the games you play to be a top 10 team??

ND wants to play at "neutral sites" more for recruiting reasons..

And, Sexton, for more money and exposure, which obviously has a lot to do with recruiting, but any neutral site game isn't an attempt to weaken their schedule,especially because they are playing a team who outperformed them last year drastically, and who has been a pretty solid football team for a few years. That's why ND is going to San Antonio to play Washington St. It's for money and exposure.

Sexton: Rutgers is only miles away from NYC and Philly. There are enough people in the area.

Rutgers should have gave in on this one. I know they are probably looking for the receipts and the exposure of having ND on campus but as a "resurgent" (I'm not drinking the Rutgers Kool-Aid, the quotations are for my buddy RUGator) program the chance to play ND is too good to pass on.

receipts: Gate receipts. The Cash!

Sexton,
ND can use whatever excuse they want for neutral site games, but ultimately it will be ND fans in full force filling the stadiums. Especially on the East Coast. Don't be shocked to see a majority of UConn's tickets end up in the hands of Irish fans through Stub Hub or Ebay.

Three cheers for the Rutgers administration. Now, if only the students would stop behaving like morons and cease booing the teams of service academies when they come into town.

The inside scoop is that Weis liks the food better at the Meadowlands. Also, there's a Red Lobster about a 1/4 mile away.

East Coast: Wasn't knocking Rutgers and signaling them out as a "weaker" opponents. Just saying ND has publically stated they want to lessen the strength of their schedule.

Chi Town Steve: OK, now I understand. Sorry about the misunderstanding of your comment.

Still with the hybris. Look, Bob (and Charlie), ND isn't an elite program anymore. It may be again, but it isn't right now - except in fans' dreams. ND should play anybody, anywhere, and whip their b utts. Doing that, it can dictate terms. Otherwise, as Teiresias said to Oedipus, "(they) know not where they are."

no george watson, it is an elite program, it is not an elite team. if it wasnt an elite program, they wouldnt recruit like they do. the team itself is incredibly bad, hopefully better this year. but it's ridiculous to say it is not an elite program. program includes history, tv deals, facilities, the name of the university, etc. Big difference between team and program.

Why don't the Irish win a Bowl Game before they start demanding stuff...

Just like the Irish to get some more cream puffs on their schedule - Tell Weiss to be a man and get in a conference and schedule some SEC schools. I think Prarie View A&M has some holes in their schedule - maybe ND could get them OR maybe the Coast Guard will field a team this year and they can play all the servie academies. The locals down here have a fire and police intramural game - maybe ND can play them.................

flau tiger
very good points but ND will never join a conf. b/c the make to much money losing three games a year and still making a bcs game, if they went to a conf. they would have to play good team, thats saying "if they went to a good conf." and win the conf. to make the BCS champ, or BCS game.

No, the Irish are concerned that Rutgers would crush them.