Hlas column: Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly favors an independent future for Fighting Irish football

CEDAR RAPIDS - Look for Notre Dame and the Big Ten to remain neighbors, not family.

It's hard to imagine new Fighting Irish head football coach Brian Kelly publicly stating his preference that Notre Dame remain a football independent if he wasn't confident that's how things will play out.

Kelly was at the Cedar Rapids Country Club Tuesday to speak to the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. He told the gathering of about 200 that deciding on whether to join the Big Ten was “way up the food chain for me,” but made his feelings on the matter clear.

“The ability to play on the East Coast, to play on the West Coast, what a great opportunity in scheduling to play all over the country,” Kelly said.

“It's easy for me as a football coach to talk about it because it relates to different geographical areas, and quite frankly, it opens up our recruiting.”

Would Kelly make such comments if he thought for Notre Dame had a good chance of being Big Ten-bound? Had he put up a string of winning seasons in South Bend, maybe. But with a 0-0 record as the Irish's coach? Hard to imagine.

Also adding to growing doubt Notre Dame will cave to the Big Ten siren song: The school appears to be on the verge of signing a three-game contract to play Miami (Fla.), including a 2012 meeting in Chicago's Soldier Field.

Would the Irish be tacking on games like that for, say, 2016, if they thought they would also be facing eight fun-filled Big Ten battles? Not likely.

Reportedly, Notre Dame is also in discussions for football games this decade against programs like Oklahoma, Arizona State and Pittsburgh.

In a sit-down with area media types before he met the Golden Domers of Eastern Iowa, Kelly was asked by KWWL-TV's Rick Coleman why he wouldn't want to take on the Big Ten's “big boys.”

He noted Notre Dame's first three games in 2010 are against Big Ten clubs. “We don't have Iowa on our schedule,” Kelly joked. “I know that's what you meant by ‘big boys.' ”

He continued: “Each year our schedule is going to have Big Ten opponents, just because of the natural rivalry opportunities. From my standpoint, if you can add ACC teams, Big East teams, Pac-10 teams, Big 12 teams - it just gives you a great, great schedule from year to year.”

It just won't be eight straight games against Big Ten teams, and needing to climb over at least six of them to get to a BCS game.

“I've won conference championships,” said Kelly. “I think this is really about returning to a national and to an elite status, and that is playing for national championships. Conference championships are nice and I certainly respect the work that all conferences do, and all their affiliations. But we're playing for BCS opportunities, and that's really why I took the job at Notre Dame.”

I talked to a couple of Notre Dame grads from Cedar Rapids Tuesday. Mike Duggan, Class of ‘72, said he thought his alma mater joining the Big Ten would be “awesome,” saying the increased chances to see the Irish play closer to his home and on the Big Ten Network would please him greatly.

But Sean Berry, Class of ‘82, probably spoke for more for the Notre Dame nation.

“Like most alumni, I value Notre Dame's independence,” Henry said. “The Big Ten's a wonderful conference and you couldn't go wrong with it. But Notre Dame in my mind is an independent and I hope it stays that way. I think it will.”

If there is anything the Big Ten and its television network's money can't buy, it's probably Notre Dame.

But there's always Rutgers.