![]() ![]() Independence can be done in football because there are only 12 games a year and the schedule all but fills itself out with a handful of annual games already slated. ![]() This all means nothing if the “other Irish,” the non-revenue athletic teams at Notre Dame, can’t find a conference to call home. The program’s rivalry games also pose a problem because an eight-game Big Ten schedule leaves little space for the other guys – USC, Stanford, Navy, Boston College and Pittsburgh (although it would, in theory, allow the Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State games to go unharmed). You’ll be hard-pressed to find a conference-affiliated school that could temporarily move its home stadium for recruiting purposes. Just last season, the Fighting Irish scheduled a “home” game against Washington State that was played in Texas, a state known for producing outstanding high school talent. The Fighting Irish brand, as it is often called, is strengthened because Notre Dame football can put any other school on the schedule in any week of the year. The issue here is that one of these conferences will require that Notre Dame join in all sports, not in a membership that allows the football team to remain independent like the school’s current contract with the Big East. ![]() ![]() That theory isn’t likely to play out because even if the strength is weakened, the Big East can get new teams if it needs to do so. One slippery slope theory says if the Big Ten grabs a few Big East teams, the former’s expansion could cause the latter’s downfall. If and when conferences look to expand their lists of members, schools who don’t jump on an invitation may be left to figure out what to do with all of their athletic programs, not just football (as alluded to in this story from The Sporting News). As of now, the Fighting Irish participate in the Big East for major sports teams that aren’t football. The key to this whole equation might not be football at all. So now the question posed to university administrators, alumni, fans and athletes, “Does being independent in football weigh enough as part of our tradition?” The answer could determine how stubborn the Irish can be toward joining the Big Ten Conference - and all of college football is waiting. The Pac-12 and Big Ten have opted to have conference-only seasons.The identity of the Notre Dame football program always has been one-of-a-kind. The news comes as reports have also surfaced confirming the conference’s exploration of 10 conference and one non-conference game schedules (as well as an eight-plus-one model, per David Teel of the Richmond Times-Dispatch), a model that’s also being considered by the Big 12 and SEC. The school has notoriously remained independent for the entire length of their history of a program. The final decision could come down to how revenue is shared between the conference and school, one of the people said. Whether those games would count in the standings and the Irish would be eligible to participate in the ACC championship game - and be eligible for the conference’s guaranteed spot in the Orange Bowl - is still to be determined. Under the proposed plan, Notre Dame would play a full 10-game ACC schedule, the people told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are still ongoing and details have not been disclosed. As the Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as the rest of college football, contemplates the reality of a season amidst a pandemic, a major change might be coming to the conference.Īccording to a report from Ralph Russo of the Associated Press, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which have been a non-football member of the league since 2014, could be on the verge of joining the ACC as a football program for the 2020 football season. ![]()
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