SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum says Notre Dame should end its independent status and join a conference after the Fighting Irish were left out of this year’s College Football Playoff.
The College Football Playoff committee selected Alabama and Miami over Notre Dame despite the Fighting Irish competing for a national championship last year in a 34-23 loss to Ohio State.
Finebaum’s solution is simple. Join a conference that makes sense geographically.
“It could happen,” Finebaum told Dan Patrick about the possibility of Notre Dame dropping its independent status. “Now, they have that contract with the ACC, and I’m sure some of the bluster with Pete [Bevacqua] was to get out of that, and I’m sure at some point, the ACC is going to let them go. But yeah, the SEC and the Big Ten would probably be more than happy to fill in that role, but I think the Big Ten is where they belong, even on a limited schedule.”
Notre Dame currently has a partial agreement with the ACC but isn’t a full conference member for football.
The Big Ten could be a natural fit for several reasons.
The Fighting Irish would keep their rivalry with Purdue. The Michigan State series returns this fall. A Big Ten membership might also preserve the annual matchup with USC.
Conference membership would give Notre Dame access to a major brand beyond its own. It would also create opportunities for new rivalries with teams the Fighting Irish rarely play under their current independent model.
The timing might be right given the current upheaval across college football.
Whether Notre Dame actually makes this move remains unclear.
