Paul Finebaum: Notre Dame is going to find out there's only so much they can milk NBC

While the media asked questions over and over throughout college football media days, talks of conference realignment have crawled to a halt. Conference commissioners say either they are done adding teams or they may consider more additions down the line. For ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, he says he sees right through it and, also, which team is still highly involved in those conversations.

In an appearance on ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning‘, Finebaum said any one who thinks they know anything outside of the conference commissioners are kidding themselves.

“First of all, I do not believe for a second that nothing is on the horizon because I think one thing we have come to learn over these many months, if not years of this, is that nobody’s telling the truth because you really can’t afford to,” said Finebaum. “These are high stakes poker games being played in the dark of night by stealth operators. That’s why nothing said in any of these meetings is particularly interesting or important. You just have to read between the lines. I think there’s still conversations going on.”

Finebaum’s focus remains on the future of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish’s independence has sustained through this point of the conversation. In the end, he doesn’t believe it can stay that way. The athletic department has aspirations to remain in the college sports conversation. If they do get their new NBC deal, though, he believes it becomes almost impossible to do so.

“The media thinks it has it right about Notre Dame that they’re set and sitting pretty. Notre Dame, I think, is going to find out that there’s only so far they can milk NBC,” Finebaum said. “What if they get the reported $75 million from NBC? So what? They’re still an independent and they’re still not going to win a national championship as an independent.”

Regardless of the stances these commissioners are taking, Paul Finebaum and other analysts find them hard to believe. The very moves that started it all between Texas and Oklahoma followed USC and UCLA were shocks. When it comes down to it, he says these conversations have done anything but stalled, specifically in South Bend.

“I think ultimately (that) Notre Dame is going to bite the bullet and get into a conference. It’s just going to take time. There’s nobody out there, other than maybe (Notre Dame AD) Jack Swarbrick, who probably knows when that is.”