West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez isn't too happy with Notre Dame's Big East affiliation. The AP notes that he lashed out at Notre Dame on Sunday after the Irish earned a spot in the Gator Bowl and denied the Mountaineers a New Year's Day game.

"I don't know if slighted is the right word, but I do question sometimes what is Notre Dame's affiliation with our league," Rodriguez said. "I don't understand why Notre Dame is getting the best of both worlds."

Rodriguez has a pretty valid point. Notre Dame gets the benefit of a Big East bowl placement, but doesn't actually play all the Big East conference games. This year, they only played Pittsburg, Rutgers, and Boston College, and were 2-1 against Big East teams. Rodriguez has a right to be upset, because they took the Big East second place bowl, without having to finish second place in the conference.

"I'm not sure if they can finish in second place in the Big East. They would have faced three of the top teams in Miami, Virginia Tech and West Virginia," quipped the Mountaineer coach.

Personally, I am inclined to agree with him. The Big East has evolved into a pretty competitive conference, with 5 bowl eligible teams (out of 8), and 4 teams in the top 25. If ND wants to maintain their independence, that is their choice. But the Big East shouldn't allow themselves to be used like that. If Notre Dame wants a chance to get a good Big East bowl, they should have to compete for it on the football field like the rest of us.