As the college football landscape continues its evolutionary shift of teams vying for power and exposure through unprecedented conference realignment, Notre Dame sits silently in its independent corner watching from afar.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, a source familiar with the logic within Notre Dame’s athletic department believes the school will remain independent. However, with the major domino of USC and UCLA announcing their decision to join the Big Ten in 2024, it has caught the attention of Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick. As the Big Ten and SEC race to become two of college football’s 16-team super conferences by 2025, Notre Dame’s decision to realign could come down to implications surrounding the College Football Playoff.
Swarbrick recently told ESPN’s Heather Dinich there are three potential reasons why remaining as an independent could become “unsustainable”.
