Conference realignment hasn’t hit independent Notre Dame hard, but a new report suggests the Fighting Irish might be pulling some strings. Rivals.com writer Larry Williams reported that the Irish are rumored to be “pushing hard” for the ACC to add both Cal and Stanford.
“Am told Notre Dame, as a full voting member of the ACC, is pushing hard for the additions of Stanford and Cal. That “full voting member” part is … something,” Williams wrote.
Am told Notre Dame, as a full voting member of the ACC, is pushing hard for the additions of Stanford and Cal. That "full voting member" part is … something. Writing on this shortly.
— Larry Williams (@LarryWilliamsTI) August 9, 2023
The news stunned many who came across it on Wednesday, and probably for good reason. While conference realignment has spun everyone in about six or seven different ways, this new twist is significant. If Notre Dame, despite playing in the conference part-time, has full voting member capabilities, then that changes a lot.
The Fighting Irish and their self-interests are a major presence in college football. They are the biggest independent program in the country and can say that they play every single game on national television, even without a conference. Evidently, Notre Dame is fully aware of that power. Whether they get what they want in this realignment cycle is yet to be seen.
Cal and Stanford are both in peril as the Pac-12 meets its demise. Oregon and Washington will become members of the Big Ten in 2024, along with UCLA and USC. Colorado fled to the Big 12, and it seems the Arizona schools won’t be far behind either. Notre Dame plays Stanford annually as part of a longstanding rivalry between the two programs. So from that perspective, it does make sense that the Irish would look out for the Cardinal. The two programs might be in need of a life raft as conference realignment crushed the conference.
The CFB world reacted to the bombshell news as conference realignment took another turn. This time, Notre Dame is shockingly in the spotlight.
My neighbor Keith, who borrows my wheelbarrow sometimes, is pushing hard for me to buy a combine harvester. https://t.co/ktP7YqSgQd
— No Escalators (@NoEscalators) August 9, 2023
https://t.co/GFUD5ANPoE pic.twitter.com/vAiOe1GbO5
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) August 9, 2023
We may be witnessing ACC fracture widening here in real time.https://t.co/2AIIFINWnJ
— Greg Flugaur (@flugempire) August 9, 2023
If I’m the B1G, I’m intervening. Just grabbing Cal and Stanford go dominant the West Coast with games https://t.co/ESLLRiVj1q
— Couillon (@diabsoule) August 9, 2023
I wanna know which president or AD responded with “you first” https://t.co/uT3hSeTw5l
— Joe Ovies (@joeovies) August 9, 2023
The ACC deserves everything it's getting right now. Years and years of bad decisions. https://t.co/bkXNVijSWy
— THE KEY PLAY (@thekeyplay) August 9, 2023
ND is the real gangster. I’m willing to bet they get what they want here. Always do. https://t.co/FSb9DecuUO
— Allen Kenney (@BlatantHomerism) August 9, 2023
They absolutely should not have full voting rights. Especially with a decision this big when they’re unwilling to go all in they should have zero say https://t.co/cNz3fJDHqM
— Sam Mines (@SMines57) August 9, 2023
Notre Dame was behind the collapse of the Big East. As long as conferences allow them to do this while staying independent in fb they sort of deserve the outcomes https://t.co/AtENkClUAh
— Kevin Wall (@kwallcuse) August 9, 2023
All of the perks of being in the ACC with its own individual TV deal on the side as well.
What a sweetheart deal. No wonder Notre Dame is so content with its independence. https://t.co/56N2OQhCvq
— Curt Weiler (@CurtMWeiler) August 9, 2023
