Baylor-Notre Dame Game Moved To Superdome Due To TV Contracts

TV Deals Moving Baylor-Notre Dame Game In 2012 To Superdome

The Baylor-Notre Dame football game scheduled to be played at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington on October 6, 2012 has been moved to the Superdome in New Orleans "to comply with current Big 12 television contracts," according to sources cited by Brian Davis of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. When the Baylor-Notre Dame contract was originally announced, Notre Dame was the designated home team, and Notre Dame has "an exclusive contract to broadcast its home games on NBC.''  The game was moved because ESPN and FSN have "contractual rights to broadcast games played within the Big 12 geographical footprint." ESPN is beginning an eight-year, $480M deal with the conference this fall. Baylor officials "have been arguing for months that the language in the new ESPN contract shouldn't matter" as the game was signed under the previous TV deal. Baylor officials thought the game "could be broadcast on NBC in Arlington without any conflict," and a Baylor source said that there was "no language in the previous contract pertaining to a one-time event." Big 12 Associate Commissioner Tim Allen: "There are provisions that have to be in place to provide some protection for our television partners." Meanwhile, Davis cited sources as saying that the Cowboys are in talks to bring Notre Dame to Arlington in 2013 to play Arizona State (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/14).