Most avid college football followers are aware of the issues currently facing the ACC, Notre Dame’s full home conference for most sports, and partial partner in football. Unfortunately, they are locked in a TV deal with ESPN for 13 more years that features a payout per year that makes it untenable when compared to the payouts the SEC and Big Ten are anticipating. How untenable? Possibly up to 50 million dollars per year less than the “big two”.
There are options for the ACC members, but not any great ones. If the ACC breaks up, Notre Dame will need to find a new home for all sports. If the ACC restructures TV payouts to push more resources to teams that move the needle, this will also impact Notre Dame’s TV negotiations which may find them looking for a new home.
Sometimes it feels like all signs eventually point towards Notre Dame joining a conference full-time. Not by choice. Mine or theirs. But rather by force of practicality, circumstances, and resources. IF, the Irish feel they need to join the Big Ten to stay financially and competitively viable in all sports, as hard as this is for me to write, it’d be a terrific landing spot for many reasons. Let’s examine them.