There were five power conferences in college football some years back, before the Pac-12 got disbanded, and only four remained.  The Fighting Irish, on the other hand, have long enjoyed their independence for some 40-odd years alone. Yet, in that time, the team has garnered a multimillion-dollar media rights deal ($22 million), independence to create their own schedule, and the program is producing incredible results on the field (if failure to win a Natty is kept aside). Just last year, we saw what Marcus Freeman can achieve with a 12-team playoff, and now with changes coming? Well, the program might have become a de facto ACC member after all. And? It’s a massive disadvantage!

Just recently, Notre Dame signed a 12-year deal with the Clemson Tigers to organize matchups against each other till 2038. The deal would have seen the Irish play Clemson five games over 12 years, with three at Clemson and the rest at Notre Dame. But now, the ACC commissioner has come out with a statement denying these claims.

Brett McMurphy shared the news on X and boosted Notre Dame’s plans for the future. “ACC commish Jim Phillips said the recent Clemson-Notre Dame annual series the schools added does not count toward the 5 games the Irish must play annually against ACC teams each year“. What this news has essentially done is give more power to Notre Dame in terms of their scheduling. Moreover, with the 14-team playoff on the cards, the Irish will be a conference in themselves.

The Fighting Irish are now in a position to handpick their games, with one guaranteed game against Clemson. That would mean they would probably be playing 6 games against ACC opponents each year. But still, the Irish can easily play Miami and Florida State every year, along with getting Clemson in the years in which their 12-year deal doesn’t specify a Clemson game. Yet, there will be years when the Irish have to play 6 games against the ACC, potentially weakening their schedule.

Having said that, the 14 playoff spot proposal, which essentially guarantees the Irish a birth in the playoff if they finish top 14, will have some hope for. Still, what if they fail to finish top 14 due to their ACC-heavy schedule? Well, this is the major disadvantage we are talking about. The Irish are set to face 6 opponents regularly. So what if Louisville or NC State or even Florida State fail to perform and downgrade the Irish’s strength of schedule rankings? We saw that happening with teams that faced FSU as the program finished 2-10. So, now the 14-team playoff doesn’t look that safe, right?

Notre Dame’s advantage finally fades?

ACC might not be the top dog anymore in the conferences, but it is still the ‘power’ conference. This is evident by the $3.6 billion deal they signed in 2012, which was extended to the year 2036. The Irish have already experienced the ACC when they joined the conference. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that the 5 games would count towards the Irish’s earlier deal with the ACC in 2016 to play five games a year with ACC teams.

“Notre Dame & Clemson have struck a 12-year annual football scheduling deal, sources tell @YahooSports. The series works independently of the ACC structure, but does count as one of ND’s five ACC games. Irish also expected to play FSU & Miami more regularly“. So, what does the new clarification essentially mean now?

Well, the clarification means that Notre Dame would be stuck between two deals now. One with Clemson and the other with the ACC, which could see the Irish play six games every year against ACC opponents. Just two games more and they are de facto in the conference, right? But as for now, we do not yet know how the whole arrangement would work, so beyond speculation, it’s hard to pinpoint things.