Mark Richt on Notre Dame ‘sharing the limelight’ in the ACC: ‘I don’t know if they are used to it’
By Keith Farner
Published:
This season will be a completely different experience for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish playing in the ACC will have the feel of a conference race.
That may be something that plays a role on the field, as former Georgia and Miami coach Mark Richt said on SiriusXM. The week-in-week-out grind of the ACC is a bit different than always being the headline game of the week on NBC or elsewhere around the country.
Richt called it a “big-time coup” for the ACC to land Notre Dame, even if it is only for one season. The Fighting Irish understandably needed scheduling help after multiple conferences and teams called off their seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I really believe that scheduling is what got them in the league,” Richt said, and then he referred to how sharing revenue and high-profile promotions would help the league.
The trouble then comes for Notre Dame, who Richt said hypothetically could lose to Clemson, North Carolina and another opponent.
“I think there’s a big risk to them as far as their reputation and the way they love to think of themselves as,” Richt said. “All of a sudden they go to the ACC and find themselves battling for their lives.”
Notre Dame QB Ian Book is a good quarterback, but may not be any better than third in the league, Richt said. “They’re not used to getting themselves compared to other people in a conference. “So they’re sharing the limelight, I don’t know if they’re used to it. I don’t know if they like it.”
With Notre Dame joining @ACCFootball as a full member for the 2020 season, @MarkRicht told @MarkPacker that he skeptical of how the Irish will enjoy life in the ACC. pic.twitter.com/VkVsC28z2d
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) September 9, 2020
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
