Rutgers says NO.

Rutgers turned down a 6 year contract to play ND. The deal would of been for Rutgers to play ND at ND 3 times and 3 Times at the Meadowlands. The reason ND doesnt want to play at Rutgers stadium is because they dont hold enough seats.  Rutgers wanted 2 home games. I think this is a big mistake by Rutgers because this could of helped them out in Recruiting and be on National TV.  I understand that Rutgers wanted to play at home but they would of still played in NJ and they would have a bigger crowd.  I am pissed because I live in NJ and it would of been nice to see ND play. Also the contract could of ended up being a 9-10 year deal if Rutgers stays as a Top team in the Big East.  I think Rutgers dropped the ball on this one.  This would of brought them alot of money.   When ND plans there schedules they want to make sure they get something out of it and by playing at the Meadowlands they would of got some money out of that.

I think to make it a little fair ND should of counter offered by saying they would of played 1 game at Rutgers and 2 at the meadowlands. They have played there in the past but that last deal was to play Rutgers once at there house and 2 times at ND.

Rutgers program has improved big time. They would be taking a step back by playing Notre Dame. Rutgers needs to measure how far they have come by playing more Top 20 programs.

We all know Notre Dame days of glory have passed them by..

A couple of points:

1. Rutgers is expanding the stadium to 56,000 and needs to play games at the stadium to generate revenue to pay for the expansion. Parking alone would generate $300,000 to say nothing of the concessions. I know the Meadowlands/New Giants Stadium holds more seats but Rutgers would have to pay to rent the stadium and bus the students to the game.

2. Rutgers has a loud crowd that creates a homefield  advantage. Playing ND at Giants Stadium would be a neutral game.

3. Navy's stadium holds 33,000 the New Rutgers Stadium will hold almost twice that. Navy has everything to gain by playing ND at a bigger venue. Last year excepted Navy doesn't have a realistic chance of beating ND so why not take more money. Besides Army how many games does Navy have on National TV? Every Rutgers Big East game is on ESPN/ABC. Rutgers will also be playing Fresno and UNC on ESPN. Rutgers doesn't need to play ND to get exposure.

4. Notre Dame will be playing BC on their campus in a stadium that seats 44,000. Why is their 44K seat stadium acceptable but RU's 56K seat stadium isn't?

Irish Catholics and Notre Dame??????

I dont see too many men if Irish background or Catholics on the football team????? haha

Also Rutgers should be looking to rekindle games against Alabama, Tennessee, from the SEC.

Even a California from the Pac 10 or Oregon.

Texas A and M also.  Lets live now in the present and not 20 years ago.

Perhaps Rutgers does not want to play Notre Dame because Weis will get even more exposure in the Jersey area and poach more talent from that region.  Good luck with your season now that Ray Rice has moved on to bigger and better things.

I am as realistic with Notre Dame's expectations as the next guy.  But the so called "Glory Days" is a relative term.  Everything is cyclical with major programs.  We have our down years even down decades, but the highlight of our program is not a 8-9 win season.  Two years ago, you guys had a great story and I am actually a big fan of Schiano but in the end you guys still choked your BCS bid to Louisville.

I respect programs like Rutgers who get the most out of their talent pool, but believe me, playing Notre Dame is in your best interest for national exposure not ours.  Beating teams in your conference (while they are good and competitive) will always leave pundits wondering if you guys are just beating up on each other or if you guys are actually any good.

Call me an idiot if you want, but I think you will begin to see a natural decline in the Big East in the next few years.  And don't give me this crap about WV beating OU last year.  They have lost 4 out of the last 5 bowl games including Boise St.  Your conference has peaked.  But good luck getting your so called "top 20" teams to play you up north in jersey.

Rutgers would like to play ND but it is not simple a benevolent gesture of ND's part. New Jersey is part of ND's recruiting ground and they should have to pay for the priviledge of having a game in NJ by playing the games at Rutgers Stadium where RU can maximize their revenue.

Rutgers is not a national brand the way Notre Dame is but I think the days of "What's a Rutgers" are over. RU is on TV regularly and are well known in their recruitiong area NJ, NY, CT, Eastern PA, MD, VA, DE, and FL. The fact that a prospect like Tom Savage is turning down Georgia and Tennessee to commit to Rutgers is proof that RU football isn't a big joke anymore.

As a side note I have seen a lot of RU fans and ND haters, belittle ND football based on last years record, but I think that is a little premature. My guess is that ND will bounce back to 8-4 this year and 10+ wins in 2009.

You Rutgers fans need to realize that ND will always dictate relationships with teams they don't play every year. They have all the bargaining chips and certainly don't need to comply with the conditions the other team presents.

With that being said, ND has always played in Piscataway so I don't know what the big deal is now.

I feel bad for you Rutgers fans. You get all your top in-state recruits stolen by ND and then they refuse to play you. But look at the bright side, you've got a talented coach and it seems like the program is on the rise.