Notre Dame has a hefty price tag expectation to remain independent, and the Fighting Irish are angling for a new media rights agreement after 2025.

If Notre Dame can land at least $75 million annually in media rights revenue from NBC, its current broadcast partner, it would remain independent, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported.

For NBC to feel comfortable raising Notre Dame’s valuation to such a level, it is seeking “shoulder programming” from a Power Five conference to enhance its college football coverage.

When such a move had been speculated previously, the Big Ten was the conference mentioned most often as a target. However, the Big 12 has emerged as a strong option to fill NBC’s shoulder programming needs.

Notre Dame became a primary subject in conference realignment again since Southern Cal and UCLA joined the Big Ten, and the Fighting Irish have been primarily mentioned as a potential member of the Big Ten, but also the SEC.

Notre Dame’s name has come up again in conference realignment amid USC and UCLA deciding to join the Big Ten last month. Because of the value of the Big Ten’s next deal, estimated at $80 million to $100 million annually for each member institution, it was thought Notre Dame had a generational decision to make as to whether it should remain independent.

For context, NBC has been the rightsholder for Notre Dame home football games since 1991. The current deal averages $15 million per year, but Notre Dame is earning $22 million annually due to the backloaded nature of the contract.