If you, as a USC fan, are interested in what is happening to Notre Dame, you now have a lot to think about. The Fighting Irish were stripped of two separate dates on their 2020 football schedule when the Pac-12 went to a conference-only schedule: USC and Stanford. The Irish also lost a Big Ten game against Wisconsin when the Big Ten moved to a conference-only slate. Everyone wondered what would happen to the Fighting Irish’s fall schedule.
Now we have some answers, though ACC school presidents still have to approve the plan:
Again pending presidential approval: #NotreDame would be eligible for ACC championship game. https://t.co/trXdmxQ8VR
— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) July 24, 2020
Earlier this week, it was announced that Major League Baseball would have 16 playoff teams with early-round best-of-three playoff series. Like the shortened 60-game regular season for 2020, the 16-team playoff format with best-of-three series should not be viewed as something which will remain in place on a long-term basis. It is a one-year response unique to sports in a pandemic without a vaccine.
The same should be applied to this Notre Dame situation: The Irish were in a bind with their schedule. They have been good to the ACC, both financially and in terms of providing national exposure to the conference. The ACC is rewarding Notre Dame for those positive contributions and taking a tangible step toward cementing a healthy long-term relationship.
Fans in ACC markets might not like this, and I completely understand why they would react that way. It is legitimate to think that Notre Dame needs to fully join the ACC — in football, not just in basketball and the other smaller sports — to be eligible for the conference championship game and for revenues flowing from a possible ACC championship victory.
One would think the ACC would work with Notre Dame on a revenue-sharing plan. Does the plan need to be ironed out before the 2020 season begins? I don’t think so. Getting teams safe and ready to play (as much as one possibly can) is the main priority here. The details could be hashed out later, once the season is underway.
Does this move draw Notre Dame any closer to full membership in the ACC? You might be asking that, and reasonably so.
A short answer: No.
If you view this as the temporary solution to sports in a pandemic — much as Major League Baseball’s 16-team playoff is a one-year deal and not a permanent remaking of baseball’s postseason format — the ACC’s plan should not be viewed as a path toward Notre Dame’s full membership. This is just a way of thanking Notre Dame and being a good partner to the Irish in a time of uncertainty.