Looks like some people in the ACC are a little mad at Notre Dame. Not mad enough to show their faces, but mad enough to send messages to Brett McMurphy about upset they are at the "special treatment" the Irish receive from the conference.
Notre Dame's agreement with the ACC has been a major source of publicity and ticket sale increases for the conference. But apparently financing a league that barely qualifies as a Power 4 otherwise isn't enough for some people.
How's Notre Dame/ACC getting along now? “Notre Dame,” a source told @On3, “is the guy that walks in the house, opens the fridge, eats all the food, then (screws) the wife, kicks the dog, doesn’t pay the mortgage & walks out w/out any skin in the game.”https://t.co/4IYgzTNsch
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 12, 2026
Yeah, that's pretty funny and even if it's occasionally accurate, so what? Notre Dame brings a level of credibility to the ACC that nearly none of their member schools, save Miami and maybe Clemson, can provide. For what it's worth, I don't think Notre Dame gets enough special treatment from the ACC. If it did, then commissioner Jim Phillips would've spoken up for the Irish during the CFP deliberations instead of directly trying to sabotage them.
ACC athletic directors are too cowardly to put their names behind unwarranted criticism of Notre Dame
Now this report, which I don't deny the accuracy of, is in stark contrast to what Pete Belacqua said to reporters yesterday about the relationship with the conference. He said that Notre Dame's bond with the ACC couldn't be stronger and having a strong Notre Dame is good for the ACC, while having a strong ACC is good for Notre Dame. He's right in both respects. The Notre Dame-Miami matchup was one of the most anticipated games during the first week of last season and this year's game on November 7 could be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game or at least a battle of two top-five teams.
That being said, there's always going to be some friction because Notre Dame is such a stronger brand than anything in ACC football. The ACC schools know that the Irish hold a lot of cards in their favor. If Notre Dame decided to explore agreements with another conference, the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 would be lined up to figure out how they could do business with the Irish. Obviously, the ACC does help Notre Dame in other ways by giving a home to other sports, but you don't think the Big East wouldn't entertain bringing the other Irish sports teams in? And truthfully, it would be a better fit for men's and women's basketball.
Notre Dame's presence has forced the ACC to level up
We know McMurphy's game here. He's trying to stir things up during a rather slow news period and it is what it is. No question there are some ADs upset with Notre Dame's "special treatment", but the Irish's presence in the conference is driving the correct decisions that could benefit the ACC long term. You think Stanford, Cal and SMU's addition to the ACC weren't in direct correlation with Notre Dame? Of course, it was. Because of Notre Dame, the ACC now has a footprint in two of the largest states in the Union and three high-level academic institutions with large endowments. This also opens the door for an expanded recruiting base. These things don't happen without Notre Dame.
The old saying is that a rising tide lifts all boats and Notre Dame football is doing everything possible to help the ACC rise into being on a competitive field with the SEC and Big Ten. And if the members of that conference can't see that, then maybe it will soon be time to move on.
Add us as a preferred source on Google