Marcus Freeman addresses the possibility of Notre Dame one day joining a conference to help playoff chances

There are a few perpetual truths to the Notre Dame program. That includes a national championship expectation and a proud history of being Independent of a conference.

Of course, everything could change. For Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman there would even be a path to joining a conference. As he explained during a recent appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, the only way Notre Dame would join a conference is if they lost the ability to win a national championship as an Independent. For now, that isn’t an issue.

“The future of college athletics are always uncertain,” Marcus Freeman said. “With private equity, with what’s going to happen with these conferences, you know, if there’s a time that Notre Dame has to join a conference to ensure that they can have the same opportunities to make the Playoff as everybody else, then I’m sure our administration would do it. Currently, the administration and myself and all of us feel confident that if we win the games we’re supposed to win, we take care of the business we’re supposed to take care of, then we have just as good of a chance to make the Playoff as anybody else.”

Notre Dame may not have won a national championship since 1988, but the Irish have had their chances. That included a trip to the BCS National Championship Game and two trips to the four-team College Football Playoff. That was all under Brian Kelly. Last season, under Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame went to the 12-team College Football Playoff and made a run to the national championship game.

“So, we’re as well-positioned right now as anybody, we feel,” Freeman said. “But we can never put our program at a disadvantage for postseason play because we’re not in a conference. If that’s ever the case, I’m sure we’ll join a conference.”

As Freeman noted, college football is rapidly changing. That extends to the College Football Playoff. This year, the 12-team Playoff is moving to a straight-seeding model. How that changes things is still to be seen. This also comes amid pushes to further expand the Playoff.

There’s debate about what an expanded Playoff would look like. In some cases, it would expand to over 20 teams. In others, it would be making the smaller jump to a 16-team model. Even within that, there’s debate about how many at-large bids and automatic qualifiers there should be. Making sure there are still those at-large options is where Notre Dame finds its path as an Independent.

This season, Notre Dame has had its back against the wall as it relates to the College Football Playoff. After dropping games to Miami and Texas A&M, the Irish can’t afford a third loss. If they were to drop that third game, the Irish likely could be written off this season as far as a championship is concerned.