Some still making the case for Notre Dame Fighting Irish to join the Big Ten

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are dedicated to being officially independent. While there are sports affiliated with conferences, like the basketball and baseball teams in the ACC and the hockey team in the Big Ten, Notre Dame football stands proudly alone.

However, there are still those who believe the Irish might eventually join a conference. And it’s not surprising, considering in-state schools Purdue and Indiana are already there, that the Big Ten seems the most likely.

In general, media days for the Big 12 and the SEC have restarted talk about teams moving all over. And that’s why there is yet another writer making the case for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish joining the B1G at some point soon.

Writer makes the case for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to join the Big Ten

Joining the pro-conference crowd is Jay Berry, a writer for Mike Farrell Sports. Among other reasons, Berry believes that Notre Dame joining the conference would allow them to play teams that are important to the team’s history.

“Joining the Big Ten would mean that Notre Dame could face off against old rivals like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, USC, Penn State and Purdue more regularly. The Big Ten is the best cultural fit for Notre Dame among all the major conferences.”

Berry also made the argument that could eventually get the Irish to give up being independent. Money talks and there’s a lot of money out there.

“Joining the Big Ten would also allow Notre Dame to remain competitive in the changing landscape of college football. Notre Dame's NBC contract runs through 2029. It will pay around $50 million a year from NBC in addition to ACC revenue. Last year, ND received $22 million from ACC TV revenue. The Big 10's revenue share is said to be somewhere around $75 million.”

For now, Berry is simply laying out the case for why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish should join a conference. There is nothing resembling rumblings they might. But every year, the talk gets louder and louder. One has to wonder how long they can stand alone.