Ad Disclosure
Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua spoke about the future of the Fighting Irish’s football program with ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Friday.
Despite renewed calls for Notre Dame to join a conference in recent weeks, Bevacqua says the Fighting Irish are comfortable with their independence and have no plans to join a league in football. Bevacqua cited the expanded Playoff as a major reason why Notre Dame is pleased with its current setup.
“No secret, the expansion of the CFP from four to 12 teams has helped enormously, because as an independent, as with other schools, we get better opportunities, better percentages of getting in the playoffs, and the more you knock on that national championship door, the better,” Bevacqua told ESPN. “And we like the freedom, quite frankly, it gives us. The fact we were able to play Navy at MetLife and had the Shamrock Series against Army at Yankee Stadium, that we can continue that great rivalry with USC — we really get to move around the map and keep that very national presence. It’s a wonderful thing for our football program and, quite frankly, it’s a wonderful thing for the university.”
Notre Dame’s schedule each year is comprised of 5 ACC opponents as well as some annual rivalry games against programs like USC, Navy and Purdue. Other opponents like Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Texas and Alabama appear on Notre Dame’s schedule in the coming years.
Notre Dame is also set up to benefit financially from its current situation with regards to the College Football Playoff. By reaching the CFP and advancing to the title game, Notre Dame is expected to bring in upwards of $20 million in revenue. In the SEC or Big Ten, the Irish would be required to share that windfall with other programs in the league.
Notre Dame is set to play in the national championship game for the first time in a decade later this month. The Irish have not won it all since 1988.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
