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ACC was fun for Notre Dame football, but Independence returns in 2021

By Daniel Morrison

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: An end zone pylon displays the Notre Dame and ACC logos at Notre Dame Stadium during the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: An end zone pylon displays the Notre Dame and ACC logos at Notre Dame Stadium during the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /
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The Irish were kind of forced into Independence. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)
The Irish were kind of forced into Independence. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /

ACC was fun for Notre Dame football, but Independence returns in 2021

Looking Back

That never happened, though. Fielding Yost of Michigan blocked Notre Dame from joining the Western Conference, largely due to his anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant sentiment. He also didn’t like the fact that Notre Dame beat Michigan in 1909. Yost stopped Michigan and the Irish from playing until 1940 and influenced the rest of the Western Conference to blackball Notre Dame.

This meant the Irish wouldn’t be able to play many regional games, forcing them to travel to play.

Ultimately, Yost’s hatred for Notre Dame helped them rise as a program. By forcing them to become a national traveler, Yost helped Knute Rockne make Notre Dame a national brand. Traveling to play teams like Army, USC, and Nebraska the Irish gained fans from all over the country.

Mix in success, and the Irish quickly rose to prominence as an Independent, proving that they didn’t need a conference to succeed.

From that point, Notre Dame’s pride in and culture of Independence emerged, and through the Great Depression, World War II, the rise of media rights in college football being negotiated by conferences, and conference realignment Notre Dame never really looked at joining a conference once they were blocked by the Western Conference. That is until a worldwide pandemic in 2020 almost canceled the season and the Irish joined the ACC for a season to make sure they’d have a full schedule to play. By the 2021 season, the Irish will be Independent again.

We’ll see if anything makes Notre Dame change their stance on Independence. The higher payouts on media deals they can get from the ACC, or maybe the easier path to the Playoff, could make being a full-time ACC member look attractive. Perhaps, they go back to Independence but find it’s lost some of its luster after finally ripping the band-aid and joining a conference temporarily.

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Probably not. After all, Independence is too culturally ingrained in the DNA of Notre Dame to give it up forever. So for this one season, let us enjoy the dominance, and hopefully see Ian Book and company lead the Irish to an ACC title and a national championship.

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