Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/167574
Under the Dome Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH Team Should Notre Dame Drop From Its 2014 Schedule? Bye, Bye Boilermakers By Dan Murphy Why Play The Wildcats? By Andrew Owens Notre Dame's jump to the ACC left the Irish Notre Dame's 2014 scheduling quandary will football team in a pickle in 2014. There are 13 inevitably result in an awkward breakup between teams expecting to play them, but only 12 games the Irish and a scheduled foe for next year. So to play. Athletics direchow does athletics director Jack tor Jack Swarbrick has to Swarbrick fix this dilemma? find one to cut loose in The easiest solution is to simthe near future. ply drop Northwestern from Arizona State already the slate. Notre Dame already refused Notre Dame's has the Chicago market corbreakup note. Rice pronered and plays six games 90 vides the warm-up game minutes from the Windy City, Notre Dame needs to annually. Besides, Northwestern open the year prior to — despite its recent improveits last showdown with ments — is to Chicago what Michigan the following Boston College is to Boston: an week. The value of that afterthought. The fact that the game was made clear by school had to put up billboards Temple in 2013. Should the Irish consider dropping saying, "Northwestern: ChicaThat leaves the two Big Purdue from their 2014 schedule to go's Big Ten Team" proves that Ten teams. Both provide solve the issue of having one too many it's exactly not that. a regional rivalry and the games on the slate? Northwestern's addition to the photo by bill panzica Notre Dame schedule has been conference connections to go along with the two Michigan schools. North- puzzling from the beginning. The Irish's scheduling western, though, is a closer fit culturally for Notre commitments are already saturated with Big Ten Dame and an exciting program on the rise under opponents, to the point that the Michigan series is head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Establishing a series ending and Michigan State is coming off the schedwith the Wildcats would be a great showcase ule temporarily. There's no need to add a relatively for the emphasis on student-athletes (everyone boring matchup like Northwestern (Purdue already likes the Stanford game, right?). A regular trip to fills that role), regardless of how like-minded the Chicago, a city crawling with Notre Dame alumni, universities are. would also be well received. They should have Rice is a nice way to ease into the September slate, started playing this game five years ago. Arizona State won't agree to be removed and the That leaves Purdue as the odd man out, stuck five ACC games plus USC, Stanford, Navy and Michibetween not quite enough of a cupcake and not gan won't be axed, while the Syracuse matchup enough ties to make it a thrilling matchup. Play- at Metlife Stadium gives the Irish some East Coast ing the Boilermakers leaves Notre Dame with a exposure next year. Northwestern seems to be the ho-hum win or a major blemish on their playoff easy choice for Notre Dame to approach with the resume if things go wrong. It's not worth it. "it's not you, it's me" conversation.