Mar 9, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; The ACC logo and game ball as seen on the floor prior to the start of the quarter-final game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Maryland Terrapins in the 2012 ACC Men

Notre Dame has agreed to terms with the Big East to leave 2 years early. The Irish will join the ACC in all major sports except for Football on July 1^st. The Notre Dame football team will play 5 ACC teams each year, but will still remain independent. It is reported that the buyout to leave the Big East early cost Notre Dame $2.5 Million dollars.

The Catholic 7 was in play to keep the Irish from the ACC for a year or longer, but the ACC looked more promising, especially in basketball. I personally don’t like the Irish playing 5 ACC teams a year, but I think it is a move in the direction of eventually joining a conference. The B1G Ten wanted the Irish badly back in the fall, but they wanted Notre Dame to join in every sport including football. That wasn’t going to happen, at least not yet. Will Notre Dame eventually join a conference in football? That remains to be seen, but many people think that is what the Irish should do. The ACC does include Boston College, Miami, and Florida State who are all rivals of Notre Dame (Florida State going back awhile).

According to  Brett McMurphy and Andy Katz

Notre Dame will play home-and-home ACC games against Boston College and Georgia Tech along with two other ACC schools to be determined. Notre Dame also will play one game each against the league’s remaining 10 members.

Nov 26, 2011; Charlottesville VA, USA; Detailed view of an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) distance marker on the sidelines between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Virginia Tech Hokies during the fourth quarter at Scott Stadium. Virginia Tech defeated Virginia 38-0. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a lot of talk whether Notre Dame will go straight to the ACC, or join the Catholic 7 for a year or possibly longer. The Catholic 7 is said it will retain the Big East name, but what about all of the non-Catholic schools that are current Big East members? They will likely still be a conference under a new name or depending on what happens they could keep the “Big East” name. Which would be the better fit for Notre Dame? As everyone knows football comes first, which with the new ACC deal they are going to play 5 ACC teams every year. This isn’t something Notre Dame wants to do. One of the best things about scheduling any 12 teams is being able to keep the many rivals Notre Dame plays every year (Michigan, which ends this year, Michigan State, Purdue, Navy, Stanford, USC, Boston College, and Pittsburgh). That is 7 teams 8 if you count Michigan. That is basically like a conference schedule in itself (7-8 games). All are great rivalries and many of them go back to the start of Notre Dame football. Like Navy, without the Naval Academy there would be no Notre Dame, because during World War II, as Notre Dame’s enrollment dropped to number seen during the Great Depression, the Navy decided to establish a Navy College Training Program on the South Bend campus in the summer of 1943, which provided economic relief and stability.

Jack Swabrick stated on ESPN:

If the Catholic 7 is leaving and forming its own conference for next year, they could certainly call us to want to explore our options. And if they were interested in accommodating us, it would certainly be a viable option. We have a lot of respect for those schools and know them well.

The Catholic 7 schools are DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova and expected additions Butler and Xavier. There are some other A-10 teams in the mix, but none have been offered yet. If Notre Dame would join the Catholic 7 they wouldn’t have to worry about playing 5 football games within the conference, because none of these schools have an FBS football team. This means the Irish could go back to scheduling whoever they want. Many of the fall sports like soccer, volleyball, and cross country release their schedules by May or June. Joining the ACC will cost Notre Dame some of its historic rivalries, but if they joined the Catholic 7 then they could keep tradition alive in all of those opponents and still be in a good basketball conference.

Nov 5, 2011; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Cierre Wood (20) runs after making a catch in the third quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 24-17 at BB

One of the rumored conferences to the ACC. Let’s take a loom at this conference and see if it makes sense for Notre Dame. Remember, this would be for non-football teans only. The Irish should still remain Independent in football.

Teams in ACC (Level of competition)-

**Future teams include Syracuse and Pittsburgh**

grade- A

UNC, Duke, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse are consistent top 25 teams for basketball. I can’t imagine how nervous the players would be going into Duke territory. The ACC has someof the best teams in the nation.

Why the ACC makes sense academically?

grade- B+

This is probably one of the better choices for Notre Dame. Most schools are under 10,000 undergraduates and are not easy schools to get accepted into. We all know how the high standard Notre Dame’s academics are, so they will want to be in a conference where getting a degree is just as important as a championship.

Should Notre Dame make the switch?

Yes

I absolutely love the idea of Notre Dame playing in the ACC. The league is definitly improving and Notre Dame should not have a problem creating revenue, whcih is important for some reason these days.

DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF NOTRE DAME MOVING TO THE ACC? TELL US WHY OR WHY NOT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!

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