Tag: Independence

Stephen A. Smith questions Notre Dame’s relevance

This guy.

Believe me when I say the last thing I want to do is bring attention to Stephen A. Smith. I could write a whole post about everything I can’t stand about him, but that’s a topic for another day.

With the College Football Playoff officially expanding to 12 teams, the inevitable topic of where Notre Dame fits in as an independent has come up. It has to given that the top four seeds automatically will go to conference champions, which locks the Irish out of those spots.

Whatever the reason for the Irish entering the conversation though, it prompted Stephen A. Smith to outright question why the program is relevant during the latest episode of ESPN’s “First Take”. He went on so long that Awful Announcing had to split the video in two when tweeting it out:

The only thing worth adding to this is that [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is working hard to build the program he sees fit, and the hope is that more progress will be made in his third full season at the helm. With luck, Smith will be eating his words before too long.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame left out of Twitter user’s Big Brother-Little Brother chart

Should the Irish have been on this chart?

Notre Dame’s independence is a major part of what makes it unique. The drawback to that is except for USC, Navy and Stanford, no annual rivalries are played. That means none within the state of Indiana. Perhaps it was for that reason that the Irish were left out of Twitter college list aficionado Big Game Boomer’s chart listing the “Big Brother” program and “Little Brother” program in all 50 states, if applicable:

The Irish and Boilermakers will play each other five consecutive years between 2024 and 2028. They have a home-and-home scheduled with the Hoosiers in 2030 and 2031. However, neither program is facing each other this year, which possibly factored into the Irish being snubbed. Bur perhaps the biggest factor is that the Irish aren’t conference rivals with either program.

If the Irish join the Big Ten in the future for whatever reason, perhaps we can revisit this list. Until then, that appears out of the question. Oh well. At least the Irish are supposed to have a better year than both programs.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson: Notre Dame ‘not an independent’

Keep telling yourself that, Richard.

With college football almost here, old issues are starting to be debated again. Notre Dame’s independence is about as old a debate topic as it gets, but with major conference realignment coming in 2024, it feels like a hotter issue than ever. Richard Johnson of Sports Illustrated disputed the very idea of the Irish being independent on his podcast. Specifically, he cited the university being a partial ACC member:

There shouldn’t be any middle ground discussed here. Either you’re in with a conference all the way, or you’re not. Notre Dame is not a full-fledged ACC member, so it’s no use debating this particular point. Until an ACC logo permanently is painted onto the Notre Dame Stadium surface, we can’t call the football program part of it.

Notre Dame’s other athletic programs are in conferences out of necessity more than anything else. They can’t sustain themselves the way the football program can. And until the college football powers-that-be decide that independence is bad for the game, the Irish are staying independent.

[lawrence-related id=74924,74868,29105]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame athletic director stands by football independence

Fitting for him to say this on the same week as Independence Day.

Seemingly every few months different college football programs nationally align themselves with new conferences and included in nearly every reactionary piece written or spoken is “what does it mean for Notre Dame?”

Whether its Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC or USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, anytime a move happens the world wants to know what it means for Notre Dame.

Well, according to the current Notre Dame athletic director, not a single thing. Tyler Horka of On3.com sat down with Jack Swarbrick recently and his words don’t make it appear independence is going away for the Irish anytime soon.

“Every one of these stories is about us. What’s Notre Dame going to do? It’s reinforcing our positioning.

“There have been times when people thought giving [independence] up was inevitable. I don’t get that sense right now.”

Of course the two key words in that whole comment are “right now”.  Obviously, things can change and force Notre Dame’s hand, but that doesn’t seem the case for the time being.

If all things are equal, or at least in the same ballpark, Notre Dame won’t change independence anytime soon.  Until the difference in TV-money is too great or the ability to compete for a national championship goes away, this won’t be changing anytime soon.

Much to the chagrin of pretty much anyone without a connection to the Notre Dame program.

[lawrence-related id=73805,23764,73783]

Heather Dinich: Conference realignment means nothing for Notre Dame

Don’t worry, Irish fans.

To put it mildly, college football is in chaos. The Pac-12 is about to become extinct or is seriously threatened at the very least.

Oregon and Washington will join USC and UCLA in the Big Ten in 2024. Colorado is rejoining the Big 12 in 2024, and we now know Arizona, Arizona State, Utah also are heading there as well.

What does this mean for Notre Dame?

If college football insiders are to be believed, absolutely nothing. As part of a series of questions published on ESPN’s website, Heather Dinich was asked to tackle the evergreen issue of the Irish’s independence and how it applies to the changing college football climate. If you’re worried about the Irish giving into public pressure and joining a conference permanently, Dinich says don’t be:

“Notre Dame athletic director [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag] has long repeated the same three factors that could contribute to the university’s position as an independent becoming ‘unsustainable.’

Those include: the loss of a committed broadcast partner; the loss of a fair route into the postseason; or such an adverse financial consequence that would force it to reconsider.

In spite of all of the drama swirling around Notre Dame, nothing has impacted those particular factors. Notre Dame still has a strong partnership with NBC as its broadcast partner that runs through the 2025 season. It recently announced a renewed commitment to Under Armour. It also remains a partial member of the ACC in football and has a contract with the league stating that if the Irish were to relinquish their independence, it would be for the ACC.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said recently at the league’s media days that he knows how much the Irish value their independence. Notre Dame still remains the most valuable property remaining on the Monopoly board – and it’s still not for sale.”

Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune expressed similar thoughts earlier in the day. So sleep easy, Irish fans. The program is not changing its affiliation or lack thereof anytime soon. Besides, conferences need the Irish more than the Irish need them.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips talks Notre Dame independence

No need to be concerned for now, independence fans.Bra

With ACC Media Days underway, this also is the time for the man at the head of the conference to speak out. Commissioner Jim Phillips took the podium in Charlotte and faced his annual round of questioning from assembled media.

At some point during the day, Phillips was asked about Notre Dame’s independence. He is on record as saying he wants the Irish to join the conference for football, and he had this response according to Brandon Marcello of 247Sports:

With the SEC and Big Ten on the verge of becoming super conferences, the question of whether the Irish will stay independent becomes more relevant than before. It will be interesting to see how long the program can keep this going before the deck becomes stacked against it enough that joining a conference is the only option.

While many Irish fans don’t want to think about being in a conference, nothing is off the table anymore. Money talks, and the Irish might eventually have to bite the bullet to stay relevant in college football.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Big Ten opponents Notre Dame should play annually if it ever joins

Just picture at least some of these games happening annually.

The Big Ten has unveiled its “Flex Protect Plus” scheduling model, which will take effect when USC and UCLA join the conference in 2024. Eleven particular matchups will be protected and thus played every year, and every school will play every school at least twice over a four-year period. There will be both annual and rotating matchups over each team’s nine-game league schedule.

Which brings us to Notre Dame. We all know about the Irish being denied entry into the Big Ten in the 20th century’s early years, but times areMidw changing. With college football’s landscape radically changing soon, questions about the feasibility of the Irish’s longtime independence are being raised. Plus, with their next athletic director currently heading NBC Sports Group and the Big Ten about to start a long-term TV deal with NBC, the Irish almost seem destined for full-time Big Ten membership.

Now, before you Irish traditionalists hang me from the top of the Golden Dome, really think about this. Many of the Irish’s most frequent opponents in their history are based in the Midwest. This would revive annual or semi-annual rivalries that largely have been discarded to fulfill obligations to the East Coast-centeric ACC. Nothing against that conference, but Wake Forest, North Carolina and Georgia Tech just seem to be awkwardly forced upon the fan base by the arrangement and don’t exactly rile anyone up.

In the event of a Big Ten membership, certain parameters will have to be set for the Irish. They definitely would need to keep Navy as one of its nonconference opponents because any season not completely compromised by COVID that doesn’t have the Midshipmen just seems wrong. Other than that, there are some opponents that need to be scheduled every year or at least merit consideration for that. Here are the ones most worth considering:

Phil Steele preview cover causes confusion by including Notre Dame

Can we get some consistency here?

With the calendar having flipped to June, annual college football previews are starting to make their way to shelves. Among those are the Phil Steele College Football Preview. As is the case with many such magazines, regional covers are sent out to be displayed in certain areas around the country. That’s where this gets confusing.

When you go to Steele’s website, you’ll see Notre Dame, specifically [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag], included among players from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. You’ll notice that the website explicitly says this cover is for distribution in the Midwest. But if you go to Steele’s Twitter account, you’ll notice quite a different label:

Huh? There’s no question that this cover is Big Ten-heavy, but did Steele conveniently forget about the Irish’s independence? Anyone familiar with the program’s history knows it was denied entry into the Big Ten numerous times in the early part of the 20th century, paving the way for the independence that has remained almost completely uninterrupted since.

Me thinks Steele needs someone to edit his tweets before he sends them out.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Is it finally time for Notre Dame football to join a conference?

Is it finally time for Notre Dame to bite the bullet?

I figured with it being the new year and all that it was as good as time as any to as the question.  Notre Dame is fresh off a victory over an SEC foe in the Gator Bowl and who knows what next season is going to bring.  With all of that in mind, let’s ask the question everyone seems to remain curious about around college football.

Is it finally time for Notre Dame to join a conference in football?

No.

It wasn’t before the expanded playoffs and although I hate the idea of more teams having a shot at the title in the postseason (start of the season is a different story), I do like that it should help keep Notre Dame independent.

Can’t wait to read the first in-depth thought piece on this though from some college sports writer this year.

[listicle id=68220]

 

Brian Kelly shares thoughts about Notre Dame conference argument

The answer was about as good as you could have hoped for.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] got a chance to speak on a variety of topics during SEC Media Days. It was inevitable that the LSU coach’s former employer, Notre Dame, would come up and whether it would join a conference. As it turns out, the Irish haven’t been on his mind much (big shock). However, he did offer these words about the program’s future:

This answer appears to be half-canned, half-improvised. Most canned responses wouldn’t or at least shouldn’t be talking about one’s golf game. Then again, wouldn’t you hit the course if you knew you only had a short time before all of your time and energy was focused on coaching? We’ve all been there.

At least Kelly is giving the impression that he thinks the Irish will be all right. It certainly wouldn’t have been a good look if he talked badly about them and thus incur the wrath of the entire fan base. Props to him for choosing his words wisely.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89