Operating without conference armor, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been left wrestling for at-large scraps in an expanded playoff dominated by automatic bids. The College Football Playoff snub is reported to have sharpened the urgency inside Marcus Freeman’s program. And according to the hush-hush, the Irish are feeling increasing pressure to finally join a conference.

“I think AD Pete Bevacqua should and will mull that this offseason,” said Eric Hansen on The Notre Dame football podcast with Eric Hansen & Tyler James. “Now as far as other teams conspiring to FORCE Notre Dame to join a conference …”

Freeman’s and co.’s independence stands on three legs: title access, TV money that keeps pace with the Big Ten and SEC, and a stable home for its non-football sports in the ACC. As of now, all three areas are taken care of. Independence isn’t in crisis, according to Hansen. 

Still, smart programs don’t wait for the roof to leak. The ACC relationship deserves a hard look to see if there’s a better play. What did Freeman and Notre Dame’s athletic director say about joining a conference?

“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 said during an interview with ESPN two months back. “And we like the freedom, quite frankly, it gives us.”

Freeman’s team had no idea the bar would be set that high. By the time the dust settled, the selection committee actively elevated the Miami Hurricanes’ late-August win over Notre Dame into a decisive factor.

“With private equity, with what’s going to happen with these conferences, if there’s a time that Notre Dame has to join a conference to ensure they can have the same opportunities to make the Playoff as everybody else, then I’m sure our administration would do it,” Freeman had made things clear in an interview back in October.

Notre Dame’s independence will always rub people the wrong way. As long as they stand alone, someone will call them the rich kid with a silver spoon. But there’s no clear upside for power brokers to force Freeman and co. into a conference.

Notre Dame almost extended its rivalry with USC Trojans into 2026, but a key twist changed everything. The Irish secured a deal with the College Football Playoff, guaranteeing a top-12 CFP spot, which some people in USC claimed to not know about. 

Once USC caught wind, they worried Notre Dame had a “material advantage” and pushed to move the 2026 game to Week Zero, a proposal Notre Dame rejected, eventually halting the extension. 

There is too much on Notre Dame’s plate right now: a soft-looking 2026 slate, playoff snub fallout, rumors of ADs dodging non-conference games, playoff “special treatment” chatter, jealousy over Notre Dame’s solo CFP payout, and ACC tension. 

As if all these were not enough, now Freeman’s exit buzz adds to even more woes.

A $30 million NFL offer waving at Marcus Freeman

Given the current head coaching carousel, it’s normal for programs to find their head coaches’ names tossed into it. However, for Notre Dame, the panic feels real. It’s no longer a threat from the college, but from the NFL. 

As per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Freeman is viewed as the hot target for the New York Giants. They have a vacant head coaching position after Brian Daboll left. He was entering the fourth year of his five-year, $30 million-plus deal signed in 2022.

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“Marcus Freeman, mentioned as a guy that should be in their coaching search,” Garafolo reported. “Yes, that is the case, and I expect him to be the foremost among the college candidates.”

Freeman’s NFL appeal is all about his resume. He rattled off 10 straight wins after an 0-2 start and barely missing the College Football Playoff as the first team out. The year before, he took the Irish all the way to the national championship game, falling just short against the Ohio State Buckeyes. That’s enough proof that Freeman knows how to win on the biggest stages.

So, it’s high time that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish keep an emergency contact list ready in case Freeman bolts. Who can make it to the list?

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning can be on the list, being Kirby Smart and Nick Saban’s student. Notre Dame might explore options within the camp with their offensive coordinator, Mike Denbrock. 

Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s clearly gotta be scheming something major to keep Marcus Freeman in South Bend. If not, their pitch to resist the NFL swoop might fall flat.