Since the summer of 2021, the world of college athletics has been flipped on its head, and the end game is anybody’s guess. It was last summer when name, image and likeness (NIL) became a thing, and the athletic students (oops…I sarcastically mean student athletes) couldn’t wait to finally cash in. The transfer portal, like NIL, became a point of contention for coaches and athletic directors alike, but it would be fair to question if it’s because the power has been taken out of their hands due to the new age of player empowerment. By the way, Texas and Oklahoma announced intentions to move from the Big 12 to the SEC in due time, making an already-dominant conference even stronger. The Big Ten, in an attempt to keep up, is adding USC and UCLA (out of all teams) from the Pac-12 soon, and the rest of the teams from that conference are apparently up for grabs. With the NCAA becoming increasingly obsolete as a governing body with each passing day, everyone is waiting to see what happens next, and the chess piece being watched the most is Notre Dame. Excuse me if I missed something, but I’m not understanding why the Fighting Irish are looked at as a needle-mover.
With the last sentence, this isn’t me trying to deny what Notre Dame has been in the historical sense. There is a lot of prestige that comes with the brand, and the fact they are an independent entity adds to it. What the program is at this current time is overhyped and outdated if we are to look at football, which is the sport driving all of the realignment. The Fighting Irish haven’t won a national championship since 1988, and any time they come close to breaking through, they got smashed by a squad with superior talent. The truth might hurt Notre Dame fans, but the golden dome has been gradually tarnished over the three decades that has followed their last claim to glory. While football is the premier sport leading to changes, it’s not a secret the money train is what everyone is following. We’re far removed from the early-90s, and just like the elite programs in football, the money trail has left the Fighting Irish behind.
Back in the day, Notre Dame was the team everyone wanted to watch. They were actually good in football, and because of the independent label, NBC thought enough of them to have a contract in place to air their home games in 1991. At that time, network television was the only way to catch games on Saturdays. ABC would have the occasional nationally televised game, but in most cases, it was regional programming. CBS had a period where they weren’t even broadcasting college football, and ESPN (ABC’s cable sister) was still relatively young in the broadcasting game. All of that combined to make the Fighting Irish beyond marketable. The millions of dollars also stayed with the university because of the aforementioned independence. If Notre Dame was in a conference, all of the money from the contract with NBC would have to be equally distributed through all of the teams within the league. So back then, this deal was a ground-breaker, and it’s also why the Fighting Irish would continue to stay independent in football, while joining the ACC in all other sports.
Fast forward to current times, and things are drastically different. Streaming services are everywhere we turn, making college football games as accessible as ever. Just about every conference has some sort of a network that brings in boatloads of money, hand over fist, and the notoriety that came with being independent is almost all gone. By being an ACC member in all sports except football, it’s not like Notre Dame is not aware of this. The school is just trying to have all of the spoils they can get, but not being a winner on the football field is also a major problem. The Fighting Irish, in this regard, are no different from Texas, USC and Miami (“The U”), schools who are trying to live off of their history, but are struggling to capture the magic from back then. Mix all of this up, and Notre Dame is not the power player many in the media world and Fighting Irish fan base seem to think.
With that said, Notre Dame watch continues for most, and it will be a huge story when a decision about their independent football status is made, but why that is baffles me. If recent history is a clue, then it’s the ACC the Fighting Irish might join. Geographically (and perhaps for more sustainability) the Big Ten could look more appealing. Independency is always an option as well, but again, we’re not living in 1991. If you ask me, Notre Dame is yesterday’s news, and Lou Holtz isn’t coming through to save Touchdown Jesus anytime soon. The elite football and money train has left the station. The choices are either the Fighting Irish catch up, or continue to fall further into irrelevancy. Where does this domino fall? The world waits, while I sleep.
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