But Independent Irish Can Afford to Wait
From a much longer column:
A source familiar with the school’s thinking told Sports Illustrated that “independence remains the preference and the leader in the clubhouse.” It will take a lot to move Notre Dame off its cherished identity, but the instability of the entire landscape remains a concern, and could further affect the Irish outlook.
Two areas to monitor: the fates of both the College Football Playoff and the Atlantic Coast Conference. If one or both collapse, Notre Dame could be compelled into the Big Ten. Per its current contract, the playoff ceases to exist in January 2026. There is no guarantee another iteration of it will take its place, at any size. “The vast majority of the writing assumes a playoff, and that it’s going to get bigger,” says the industry source. “I’m not sure about that assumption.”
It’s possible the diminished Big 12 and Pac-12 could be frozen out. It’s possible the ACC also could be pushed aside. It’s possible the Big Ten and SEC each hold their own mini-playoffs, then the champions of the two leagues meet for a putative national title—or they don’t, and each conference can proclaim its superiority without settling it on the field. (If you want a lousy throwback to the lousy bowl system, this would be it.)
Notre Dame wants a path to a football national championship. If everything but the Big Ten and SEC is reduced to non-contender status, that could force them off Independence Island. Or, if the ACC splinters amid its long stay in a disadvantageous contract with ESPN, the school would have to think about its sports that compete in that league and might need to be relocated.
