The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have proven during the 2024 season that they don't need to join a conference to compete for the biggest trophy of them all, at least not for now.
Under Marcus Freeman's leadership, Notre Dame earned its spot into the 12-team College Football Playoff with an 11-1 record and then beat Indiana, Georgia, and Penn State on their way to a national championship game appearance.
Notre Dame is one of the richest programs in the country and they've continued to garner that revenue, even in the midst of superconferences that are forming — particularly in the Big Ten and SEC. Despite some pressure from the college football world to join a conference, Notre Dame doesn't have much reason to — at least not for now.
The Fighting Irish have valued their Independence and they've gotten exactly what they've needed through a part-time partnership with the ACC. However, here's a look at three reasons why joining the ACC in football might actually be the best long-term play that Notre Dame could make.
Why it would actually benefit Notre Dame to join the ACC in football
1. Even more financial revenue
Notre Dame already makes enough money to compete with the television revenue that the SEC and Big Ten are making, but the Fighting Irish joining the ACC would open up avenues for the conference to make more revenue and, as a result, would increase Notre Dame's share.
The ACC is the lone conference that would be open to Notre Dame keeping its agreement with NBC and Peacock in place, so they'd also have the freedom and financial benefits that come from that deal, as well.
The ACC is already reportedly working on revenue splits that would favor brands like Clemson, Florida State, and Miami more, so why wouldn't Notre Dame want to come in and get a bigger piece of the pie from the ACC's deal and even force ESPN's hand to increase the television rights deal to begin with.
2. Scheduling power in the ACC
Again, the ACC is the only conference that would bend over backwards to schedule exactly how Notre Dame wants to. Notre Dame would be able to pick how it wants its ACC schedule and we'd imagine that most schools would agree.
Notre Dame joining the ACC might be enough for Clemson and Florida State to elect to stay in the league, and who knows, there might be an agreement where some of these teams at the top of the conference play one another more often to increase television ratings that way.
Instead of five games against random ACC opponents — many of which do not bring in ratings — Notre Dame — and other powers like Clemson and Florida State — could be guaranteed more prominent matchups and voices in their schedule.
Maybe it's a guarantee that Notre Dame plays a mix of Clemson, Florida State, and Miami every single year? It's certainly something worth considering.
3. A long-term path to the College Football Playoff
The SEC and Big Ten are working to find a way to squeeze the ACC, Big 12, and Group of 5 conferences out. Notre Dame joining the ACC would eliminate that from happening.
In addition, Notre Dame would be set up with a long-term path to the College Football Playoff, not just with opportunity to compete for conference championships, but to earn at-large berths, as well.
Let's be honest, it's not likely to happen, but there are reasons to believe that Notre Dame could benefit from officially joining the ACC in football.