The past year has seen unprecedented conference realignment and once again Notre Dame was not part of it, but in the near future they must join a conference. With college football blue bloods like Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC and USC and Oregon entering the Big 10, the era of the super-conference has begun. No longer will teams need to schedule highly ranked opponents from outside their regions to bolster their strength of schedule, they simply have to play those in their conference.
Notre Dame Stays Put
There is no football program in the country that has the history and pageantry of Notre Dame. From its national titles to its multitudes of All-Americans and Heisman Trophy winners. It is has also remained staunchly independent, and after Penn State joined the Big 10 in 1990, remains the last major blue blood program to not be a part of a conference.
New Alignment Needs New Realities
Previously, teams in various conferences would schedule a few traditionally tough opponents to bolster their strength of schedule resume. Notre Dame, not being part of a conference had great flexibility in that many teams looking to impress the pollsters would happily schedule the Fighting Irish, as a victory or even a solid performance against them, could help make their case for post season play. For its part, Notre Dame could pick and choose, and other than a few yearly contests like their one against USC, could tailor their schedule to their advantage. But with the rise of the super-conferences that is about change.
Why Teams Will Avoid Notre Dame
As college football juggernauts join already loaded conferences, their priorities in their non-conference scheduling will change. If you are Oregon joining the Big 10, and your scheduling will now include the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, USC, and Washington, the likelihood that you will want to add another brutal contest to your plans is low if not non-existent. Likewise, if you are Texas and now have to face Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and Ole Miss, is adding the Fighting Irish to your schedule a good idea? The same could be said of any of the programs in those conferences, meaning that traditionally highly ranked teams who will want to schedule Notre Dame will be few and far between. This is resulting in possible playoff punishment as was reported by Grid Iron Heroics’ Jordan Sigler.
Playoff Expansion Will Help But Not Cure
Next year will be the first of the new playoff format with 12 teams making the field, which will include automatic bids for conference champions, but as NBC sports reported, at-large bids will be based in rankings. Though the new format will certainly increase the chances that Notre Dame will get into the mix, there are already signs that their strength of schedule, even if they are selected for the playoffs, will hurt their seed. Of all the teams on their 2024 schedule, only Louisville (#19) cracked the top 20 of last year’s final college rankings.
In comparison, Big 10 bound USC, will play three schools from last year’s top 15, including Penn State, Washington, and defending national champion Michigan, not to mention they have to play Notre Dame in their end of year traditional rivalry game. Likewise, SEC bound Oklahoma has a brutal schedule that includes six teams from last year’s top 20 including Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas, Tennessee, and Missouri.
So even if the Fighting Irish were to run the table, there is more than good chance they will not score as high with the voters as teams with some blemishes on their record from the Big 10 or SEC.
Other Challenges for the Fighting Irish
For years, Notre Dame was the envy of the football world as they had an exclusive contract with NBC to televise their games. Where all other football programs had to split their television revenue with the rest of the conference, Notre Dame could keep every penny. But with super-conferences now hauling in more money than anyone ever previously dreamed of, the question is will Notre Dame still be able to command such a fee. In addition, as super-conferences offer huge impact games week after week, how many will tune in to see the Fighting Irish play the military academies?
Where Do They Go?
There are two natural conferences that Notre Dame could go to. One is the ACC, in which their basketball team is already a member. Yet the ACC is not without its problems as some schools have threatened to leave for more fertile television contracts in other conferences. From a regional perspective, the Big 10 makes perfect sense, as they are in a state that already has a conference member in Indiana, and along with the SEC, seems to be the one on the best financial footing. Either way, they must make a choice.