Paul Finebaum claims Big Ten Conference is where Notre Dame belongs

There has seemingly been a spiral effect from Notre Dame being left out of the College Football Playoff. That includes athletic director Pete Bevacqua claiming the ACC targeted Notre Dame and claiming the league did “permanent damage” to their relationship.

Most sports at Notre Dame are in the ACC, but the Irish retain their independence in football, connected to the ACC by a scheduling agreement. Despite that, Paul Finebaum claimed on the Dan Patrick Show that it’s the Big Ten where Notre Dame actually belongs.

“It could happen,” Finebaum said. “Now, they have that contract with the ACC, and I’m sure some of the bluster with Pete 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.”

Under the ACC scheduling agreement, Notre Dame plays five ACC teams a season. That greatly helps the Fighting Irish fill out their schedule as an Independent. It also helps fill ACC stadiums and keep eyes on teams within the conference. It’s an agreement the two sides have been in since 2014, and helps make sure teams like Miami and Florida State appear on the schedule, while adding traditional rivals like Stanford as well.

Of course, many of the benefits that Notre Dame gets from the deal would carry over into the Big Ten. Rivals like USC, Purdue, and Michigan call the Big Ten home. On top of that, it would be popular with the Big Ten’s partners. So, the move would have some merit.

“It’s good for TV. I’m sure Fox and all the 17 other networks that the Big Ten is on would love to do a five-game schedule,” Finebaum said. “Especially with Ohio State and Michigan and some of the bigger names in the Big Ten, because that’s really all they do in the ACC. They went in and they tweaked it where now they’re playing the better [teams]. They’re not just playing Wake Forest anymore. They’re playing Clemson and Miami and the schools that matter.”

Whether Notre Dame truly wants to end its scheduling agreement with the ACC or not remains to be seen. One thing is already clear, though, and that’s that Pete Bevacqua wants to avoid joining a conference.

“We love being independent in football. It’s part of our DNA,” Bevacqua said. “We have zero intention of changing that. It’s part of who Notre Dame is. Quite frankly, this further cements our independence. We are out there fighting for ourselves. That’s something we accept.”

Notre Dame missed out on the CFP this season. Clearly, the response to that snub has been fierce. Only time will tell if anything changes, though.