Notre Dame's Big Move

I was absolutely blindsided by the decision made by Notre Dame, a school who has staunchly resisted change in recent years.  It seems crazy to believe that not only would the Irish move, but that they would seemingly make it happen without making headlines until the official announcement.  Of course, Notre Dame still hasn't committed to a conference in football, but they seemingly took the first step toward a conference affiliation.

Notre Dame still has the inevitable legal battle with the Big East to go, but we can pretty much anticipate a settlement and a quick move for Notre Dame (they certainly have the money to pay off the conference).  From the ACC's perspective, they have found immediate contenders in basketball, and they should be able to be competitive in many other sports.  From Notre Dame's perspective, they are joining a conference that hasn't been picked apart at this point.  While the ACC may still be vulnerable, they aren't anywhere near as weak as the Big East.

As for football, the ACC now has some additional games to promote and just a little bit more potential revenue.  Given the scare the ACC had related to Clemson and Florida State in the off-season, this has to be reassuring to the embattled conference.  From the Notre Dame perspective, they now have some scheduling consistency after some struggles in developing a complete schedule in recent years.  The other advantage for Notre Dame at this point is the fact that they have the freedom to continue to schedule games like Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, and USC.

I said before that this may be a first step toward Notre Dame accepting a conference affiliation in football, and my reasoning is purely based on a series of hypotheticals.  The first requirement is that the rumors regarding Clemson and Florida State to the Big 12 are based on real conversations.  If that assumption is correct, the ACC may very well be looking for contingency plans.  Notre Dame would then have strong ties to the ACC which could be used to "encourage" them to join as a full member in football.  Cherry pick another team, and you are set.  The second requirement is that the addition of Notre Dame would make the ACC more appealing to networks for future television contracts.  Assuming that a new agreement would ultimately top the individual agreement currently held by Notre Dame, the temptation may be too strong for the Irish.  The third requirement is that Notre Dame could convince the alumni and donors that there is a significant benefit to such a move.  If all of those factors come together, we could be seeing the end of an era.  As it stands, the college world is getting shaken up yet again by conference realignment.