Paul Finebaum predicts which conference he expects Notre Dame to land eventually

USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten sent shockwaves throughout college athletics, specifically within football. That, paired with the looming move of Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 to the SEC, has left many wondering what’s next. When it comes to conference realignment, Notre Dame might just be the biggest part of the equation moving forward.

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum recently spoke with Greg McElroy about conference realignment, and he was asked about where Notre Dame will eventually land. Finebaum said that he thinks the Irish will eventually be playing in the Big Ten.

“I think Notre Dame will end up in the Big Ten if they go somewhere because it makes too much sense,” Finebeum said when asked which conference Notre Dame will land. “I don’t know what the history is with Knute Rockne and Fielding Yost and things that happened even before I was born. We’re talking 100 years ago, more than 100 years ago. But it’s time.”

Finebaum explains why he doesn’t see the SEC as a fit if Notre Dame joins a conference

All signs are pointing towards two mega-conferences between the SEC and Big Ten, and both conferences might not be done adding to their respective equations just yet. The SEC has been linked to a number of teams from the ACC, while the future of some of the remaining teams in the Pac-12 is also up in the air.

In the end, though, the conversation surrounding future conference realignment and expansion always has and always will circle back to Notre Dame. Finebaum believes the Irish are a fit in the SEC, but he doesn’t ultimately see it happening. Even if it makes sense, Notre Dame could be turned away by the simple perception of what that move would be for.

“And I love them in the SEC, but I don’t think they’re going to be able to convince the people that really matter at Notre Dame – and that’s the administration – that this is where they should be,” added Finebaum. “It would wreak to some people up there as just a pure money grab, and Notre Dame, even though everything it does football wise is about money, doesn’t want anybody else to know that.”