College football insider gives update on possibility of Notre Dame football joining a conference

Notre Dame has found itself in a unique position amid the news that USC and UCLA intend to make the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. As one of the only schools in the country without a conference in football – the Fighting Irish hold the power to make or break various Power Five leagues if they were to join one conference over the other.

“Every time there’s a wave of realignment, everyone says ‘is this the one that’s going to make Notre Dame join a conference?,’ The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel said on Friday’s Paul Finebaum Show. “And I still don’t know if they will but it at least has to get them thinking about it. It’s clear that this sport is heading toward a two, power system. The SEC and Big Ten are those powers.

“And Notre Dame, who obviously, as a brand, is every bit in line with the top in those conferences. How do they decide if they want to be part of that? I think that, if they want to go to the Big Ten – the Big Ten will take them tomorrow.”

The Big Ten makes sense, too. Geographically – which we have now learned means almost nothing regarding conferences these days – the move makes travel easier for everyone involves, not to mention regular matchups with Michigan, Ohio State, USC and UCLA.

The move will be a major cash grab for the Irish and Big Ten – the only losers would be the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 for missing out on the only available national football power that is up for grabs right now. The SEC is an entirely different conversation and are more powerful than ever.

Both the Pac-12 and Big-12 will be nursing the losses of their two historically storied football programs, but at least the Big-12 has a plan. Cincinnati (coming off a College Football Playoff berth), Houston and UCF are all expected to join the conference in 2023, while the Pac-12 hasn’t had time to think of replacement programs this soon after the shocking announcements regarding the Trojans and Bruins.

The ACC is also seemingly headed toward impending peril with rumors that Clemson, Miami and Florida State, among others throughout all conferences, are mulling over their options during the so-called great conference realignment. No one wants to be left behind when the Big Ten and SEC become even more powerful with the additions of UCLA and USC, and Texas and Oklahoma, respectively – which means Notre Dame has a choice to make regarding their conference status in the near future.