NBC is challenging Notre Dame and Syracuse fans to participate in a bit of environmental competition centered around NBC’s “Green Week“.

NBC challenged both Notre Dame and Syracuse to get as many people as possible to join their Carbon Rally teams.

“You basically sign up and you can elect to take personal challenges,” Long said.

Challenges may include making sure tires are properly inflated and driving more “delicately,” without pushing the gas pedal more than necessary, Long said. The school that gets the greatest number of people to join its team wins $10,000, Long said.

If they want to go beyond silly symbolism and the fuzzy math that will be necessary to declare this game “carbon neutral”, I can’t think of a better way to show a commitment to the planet’s well-being than just agreeing to skip a completely meaningless game between an irrelevant Notre Dame team and a Syracuse team that’s beyond awful. Forget inflating tires – keep the Syracuse plane on the ground, tell the subway alums to stay home and plant a tree, and skip the mountains of gameday garbage. Trust us, the game won’t be missed.

Even if they can’t get the game called off, NBC can do the right thing in the name of their own cause and pull the plug on the broadcast. Even the TV crew has a carbon impact on the game – everything from travel to power needs – and every little bit counts. Do the right thing, NBC…for the good of the planet and college football.