Notre Dame football is 'no. 1 target' for the Big Ten as expansion talks begin again

Because we’ve gone about a month without talking about it, it is time once again to bring up possible college football expansion. Unsurprisingly, Notre Dame football is the talk of the town on that subject.

The Irish are among the most sought after teams in the college sports for reasons that aren’t hard to figure out. The fan base is loyal and massive. The Golden Domers are internationally recognized. And as an added bonus, they’re one of the best teams in sports historically.

All of this adds up to talk of the Big Ten once again wanting Notre Dame football. While it’s hard to see the Irish listening to any overtures, one analyst believes that’s not going to stop the B1G from coming calling again very shortly.

Notre Dame football will be courted by the Big Ten once again

Earlier this week, analyst Greg McElroy was discussing conference realignment on his podcast Always College Football, and when asked about potential Big Ten expansion targets, stated the obvious regarding Notre Dame.

“The No. 1 team that they would target would be Notre Dame,” McElroy said. “Notre Dame by a mile…Notre Dame is everyone’s No. 1.”

It’s worth noting that McElroy was not coming up with this out of thin air. It’s not that he decided he wanted to stir the pot. He was asked a question by one of the people watching his podcast live. And he answered.

It’s also important to note that the Big Ten has been trying to get the Fighting Irish fro quite a while. There’s no reason to think that they would be more successful in 2024 or 2025 than they have been previously. 

Notre Dame football is independent because it believes that’s the best thing for it. But one has to wonder when that might change.