College football insider weighs in on Notre Dame potentially moving to Big Ten

On3 imageby:Nick Schultz07/01/22

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Texas and Oklahoma are off the board, and as of Thursday, so are USC and UCLA. The expectation is Notre Dame can be the next domino to fall in conference realignment — and a college football insider hinted it’s a strong possibility.

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy joined The Paul Finebaum Show and said based on what here’s hearing, the sense is Notre Dame could wind up joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten. The latter two schools left the Pac-12 on Thursday to take the Big Ten to 16 teams. Notre Dame has long tried to maintain its independent status, but rumors are swirling saying that could change.

“Multiple people I talked to — again, this is nothing I report. I’ll tell you what I’m hearing. It’s not that I would report it as fact. They strongly, strongly believe Notre Dame will end up in the Big Ten,” McMurphy said. “It’s basically, everything that made Notre Dame attractive for Notre Dame as an independent is slowly falling away. Its own network deal, more money than the conferences, access to the Playoff. Those things … are slowly falling away. If the Big Ten could get Notre Dame, that would obviously be huge for that conference. They’ve wanted Notre Dame for a long time.

“The biggest unknown is, and various people have given me different answers, is what exactly is the buyout with the ACC? We know the grant of rights goes through 2036. But Notre Dame’s only a member in the non-football sports. So how much does that grant of rights really impact Notre Dame? And then what would they pay to leave as a quasi-football member even though they’re not a football member? I would guess that whatever they’re going to pay to leave because they are not a full member, they would make that up in one or two years in the Big Ten. So is that a consideration?”

Brett McMurphy: ‘Does the SEC make a run at Notre Dame?’

McMurphy also listed another option for Notre Dame if it decides to join a conference: the SEC. He said the nature of the landscape is the Fighting Irish can go a few different directions if they so choose.

“I know long-time supporters of Notre Dame, people that have been there forever, I would joke that the world would end first before Notre Dame joins a conference,” McMurphy said. “Well, I may have to revisit that prediction because I tend to side with those people and I think Notre Dame will join a conference.

“You know the SEC as well as anyone, Paul. Does the SEC make a run at Notre Dame? Notre Dame’s going to have several options. They’re the biggest golden goose out there.”