quote:
What's baffling is that the sips want to "keep their options open" in 2025, but, so long as the LHN contract is still in effect, they have no options until 2031, other than independence, which isn't really an option at all.
I'm not sure they believe that independence is not an option. Under the old BCS regime, conferences were emphasized for access to to the title game. Notre Dame was able to negotiate a side deal where they continued to have access, but their SOS at the time was still very strong and they had the national following that maintain interest in a title game with them in it.
With the CFP regime, conferences are less of a determining factor for access, unless you consider SOS conference specific.
The unknown factor is which teams would agree to play tu and what their terms would be. Personally, I would think big name teams wouldn't immediately rule it out (notwithstanding the LHN issue) as a game with the sips would generate interest and as an indy the sips would still qualify as a P5 school for OOC fulfillment.
So who would these marquee teams be? Southern Cal, Oregon, Penn State, Sooners (of course), Michigan, Notre Dame, Free Shoes U, Miami and maybe a few SEC programs like Bama, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia. Scheduling would be a nightmare for the horns, however, and they would be forced to back-fill with other teams in some years.
That may be what they are doing now. Quietly gauging interest from those other schools. Testing the waters because they believe they have time to do so. And under the LHN contract, their going indy was specifically addressed. ESPN could be very helpful with arranging talks with these other programs, too.