Notre Dame football could be affected most by Big Ten, ACC decisions

With the Big Ten potentially ruling out non-conference matchups this fall, Notre Dame football could take a big hit. What could this mean for the Irish?

Fall is the best time of the year for most Notre Dame fans. The Fighting Irish have fielded one of the nation’s best programs over the past few years under Brian Kelly and 2020 would be no different.

Unfortunately, the high hopes for 2020 might be put on hold. The Fighting Irish are looking like the odd man out in what is seeming to be a new wave of proposed schedule ideas kickstarted by the Big Ten and the SEC on Thursday afternoon.

Basically, the Big Ten is expected to announce a conference-only 2020 season which would eliminate the usual three non-conference games.

The ACC is expected to follow suit, according to reports, and that will likely be the direction of all college football conferences — at least in the Power Five. But what happens in the Power Five is usually replicated all the way down to the Group of Five.

Where does that leave a school like Notre Dame which is without a conference?

The major effect on Notre Dame football

Notre Dame isn’t the only independent in college football but it is the most prominent. The brand and image that the Fighting Irish have are second to none and they usually have no issues finding teams who are interested in scheduling them. It’s almost too difficult to get a home-and-home series lined up with the Irish.

Not in 2020.

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing major conferences to shift to league-only schedules to prevent too much travel and spread, Notre Dame might be punished.

Right now, the Irish schedule has one Big Ten opponent and six from the ACC which wipes out seven of 12 games. If the rest of the Power Five follows suit, that will wipe out two Pac-12 teams and an SEC foe, leaving only Navy and Western Michigan on the schedule. A team certainly can’t have a season with two scheduled games.

Will leagues make an exception for Notre Dame? Depending on proximity, it’s possible and there’s always a chance another league opens up the notion of adding the Irish to the slate, but for now, it’s a panic situation for the Irish. If the proposed changes are strict and Notre Dame is off-limits, the Irish could end up being one of the only teams in the country to not have a season — assuming there is actually a season.

The Big Ten set the precedent and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the Power Five follows. What will Notre Dame do to respond?