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![]() ![]() Of course football moves the needle most, but there’s still a lot of value in quality men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, and the various other non-revenue sports where the Fighting Irish do excel. Where I think ND is more valuable is with regard to non-football sports, where they’re a full ACC member anyway. So it’s debatable how much those games actually impact the ACC Network. Given the average age of Fighting Irish fans - which I’d bet is older than that of many other fan bases - something tells me that those Notre Dame games would not wind up on the ACC Network, and rather, would be showcased on ESPN or ABC. In the case of the ACC, that could mean the ACC Network, or it could mean ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ABC. While Notre Dame home football games are still on NBC, road game broadcast rights are subject to the other teams’ agreements. He also made the point that Notre Dame’s still valuable as a partial member - something that potentially holds water depending on where games actually appear. After ND made the College Football Playoff this past season without a conference affiliation, I’d be shocked to see them join any time soon as well. Swofford was diplomatic, but also shot down any potential speculation they’d join in the future. ![]() And of course, while commissioner John Swofford was discussing the network at media days, Notre Dame - and how much the network would be worth with the Irish in the fold as well - came up. Stay tuned.With the ACC Network launching in August, talks about how valuable the ESPN-run network actually will be for conference members are ongoing. ![]() That makes games against Temple, Michigan, Purdue, Oklahoma, Air Force and BYU up in the air - the Irish probably won't drop Oklahoma, which they'll play this October in Norman.īig changes are coming for Notre Dame, but the biggest one was announced Wednesday morning. Notre Dame will have to fit in four other ACC opponents while likely trying to not drop USC, Stanford, Navy and Arizona State. Take the 2013 schedule as an example (assuming the deal begins in 2013 - Notre Dame only has one ACC opponent on their slate, that being Pittsburgh (which joins the conference next year). ![]() There's certainly a chance Notre Dame uses the ACC as a way to get Michigan - along with Michigan State andor Purdue - off their football schedule. Notre Dame and Michigan scheduled a two-year break for 20, and the two schools never officially signed a reported agreement that would lock them in to play each other through 2030. USC, Stanford and Navy are all likely to remain on Notre Dame's schedule, and the Irish are committed to play Arizona State at Cowboys Stadium next year. How the five-game agreement affects Notre Dame's football schedule remains to be seen, but most likely it means the Irish won't play as many Midwestern opponents going forward. Phillies edge closer to consecutive World Series berths with NLCS Game 5 win Ultimately, the Big 12 never made much sense, especially if the door was always open for a move to the ACC. Notre Dame was linked to the Big 12 as rumors flew during the last few years of conference realignment, with a deal similar to the one now hammered out with the ACC being thought about. While the Big 12 was picked apart and the Big East decimated by conference realignment, the ACC has remained strong and appears a permanent home for the Irish. In adding Notre Dame, the ACC Council of Presidents voted to raise exit fee from the conference, and that number likely will be in excess of 50 million. "With a mix of institutions - many of which are also private, similar to Notre Dame in size, and committed to excellence in research and undergraduate education - the ACC is an exceptionally good fit for us academically, as well as athletically." "The ACC is composed of some of the most highly respected universities in the country, and we at Notre Dame look forward to joining them," said Notre Dame President, Rev. Notre Dame's non-football programs had competed in the Big East since 1995, but with the conference losing Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC and adding the likes of Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Temple, Notre Dame clearly wanted to be a part of a conference with more familiar faces. Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter. ![]()
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