Will the way this season went affect how many national games we get next year?
I would think yes.
- Lots of OT games.
- Every game (nearly) is a one possession game.
- Buzz's personality.
I dunno if TV execs think that hard. I think they first consider the following of the school (ie ND fans that will watch the games regardless) and then marquee matchups between programs that are expected to be very good.
The only reason we didn't get National TV exposure this year is because we were projected to finish 12th in conference. Who would want to watch the #12 team get picked apart while they're struggling to get to .500?
Hopefully next year our new recruiting class is respected as a great one and Buzz will have proven (in the minds of important people) that he can get gritty performances out of his team every game. If that's recognized, then we will be projected to finish higher in conference. If we're projected to finish higher in conference, we will get national TV exposure when we play other top-rated teams.
Lack of TV exposure is the only crappy thing about being a real underdog all season (read: having to earn respect from other BEast teams/coaches and the media). I wouldn't be surprised if we were projected to finish 10th in conference next year, though. Unless DJO and Jimmy Butler become household names we'll be graduating the only guy that any pundit has ever heard of from our team.
