Tag: Notre Dame independence

Notre Dame football will host SMU in 2026, replacing Virginia

This time, the Mustangs won’t be fresh off the death penalty.

Notre Dame football plays five ACC opponents every season in exchange for retaining its independence. While we are told who the Irish will play well into the next decade, that opponents list can change anytime. We just got an example of that.

The ACC has announced that the Irish will host SMU during the 2026 season on a date yet to be determined. This game will replace the one against Virginia that was scheduled for Oct. 17 of that season. This will allow the Cavaliers to play the first of two games they have scheduled against West Virginia, a series that was concurrently announced.

This will be the first time the Irish and Mustangs have met since the Irish earned a crushing 59-6 victory in 1989. At that time, the Irish were the top team in the country and fresh off their most recent national championship. The Mustangs, meanwhile, were fresh off the death penalty sidelining them for two years.

The playing field should be a little more even this time. That should at least make this game more competitive.

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Kelley Ford: Notre Dame first team out of College Football Playoff

This would sting.

Most college football experts seem to be just guessing whether Notre Dame makes the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Kelley Ford is a little different. He dives a little deeper into college football and, from there, makes projections about how good a season a team needs to have for the most ideal scenarios to happen.

To that end, Ford released his projected playoff bracket. He has the Irish going 10-2 during the regular season, but to him, two losses is just enough to make them the first team left off the bracket. He explained his reasoning when posting his bracket to social media:

You can do a deeper dive into Ford’s findings here. For those who don’t want to read them though, he basically says the Irish only can afford to lose one game in order to make the playoff, and he gives them a 40% chance at securing an at-large bid, the only way in which they can get in as an independent.

Call it a harsh assessment if you want, but sometimes, the research backs your findings up.

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Writer makes case for Notre Dame to join Big Ten

Stop trying to make “conference” happen.

Notre Dame’s independence is a topic that simply will not go away. It’s almost as if many people outside the fan base want to bully the program to be like everyone else and join a conference.

Joining the pro-conference crowd is Jay Berry, a writer for Mike Farrell Sports. In summary, Berry believes the Irish should join the Big Ten in an attempt to grab more TV revenue and maintain many historic rivalries.

We won’t deny the Irish have a great rivalry history with a few Big Ten programs. Nor will we deny it would be terrific to have those rivalries regularly back in the fold.

We will deny that the Irish need to consider joining a conference, at least for now. Berry either doesn’t know or doesn’t care that the Irish once tried for Big Ten membership on numerous occasions but were denied each time. If that doesn’t happen, the Irish don’t become the brand they are now.

Once again, conferences need Notre Dame more than Notre Dame needs a conference. It’s not happening unless the ever-changing structure of college football forces it to.

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A crazy rumor has circulated social media with Notre Dame joining a conference

Yeah, this isn’t happening

Independence is part of Notre Dame’s lure, and as other conferences have been adding teams, the Irish have continued to say on their own path.

A very interesting rumor has circulated social media, one that most likely doesn’t hold much water, but still caught plenty of eyes. The gossip wasn’t just about the Irish, but also Florida State, Clemson, and Miami with a potential jump to the Big 12.

Obviously this is just conjecture, and most likely won’t happen, but it was still an entertaining idea. Notre Dame has a long history with some of the teams mentioned, but it makes no sense to join a conference with the expanded College Football Playoff on the horizon this coming season.

It’s highly unlikely the Irish join a conference anytime soon, but if they did, the Big Ten would make the most sense, not the Big 12.

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