November, 1909: It was an occasion of humiliation, rivalry, and a dash of vengeance that would put the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the centre of national attention—the benefits of which they’re still reaping to this day. When Notre Dame won against Michigan (11-3) for the first time in history more than a century ago—bringing their record to a 9-1 against the Irish, the latter’s coach Fielding Yost was furious. While his immediate reaction was calling off the 1910 game, a more elaborate plan was lurking in the shadows…

In 1926, then Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne and his team applied to be a part of the Big-10 for the second time. However, Yost, already brimming with alleged prejudice, worked overtime to stop that from happening. You see, while Yost has always been one of the legends of college football, he was reportedly also an anti-Catholic, and an anti-immigrant. The problem? Rockne was an immigrant from Norway, coaching Catholic players. Now, that’s the sort of discrimination the Fighting Irish didn’t take lightly.

As put by the Big Ten’s former commissioner, Jim Delany, “At the end of the day, and I don’t know exactly why, they had a historic sensibility that they had been discriminated against.” And, since then, that discontent has given the team the fiercely independent status that we’re all aware of today. However, looks like there’s been some slight change in temperament. On the back of their third CFP trip since 2019, and first appearance at a CFP championship game, the program’s management might be considering a Power 5 move, despite their benefits from being independent (which we’ll talk about later). 

On February 25, during an episode of the Ohio State Football at Buckeye Scoop podcast, Buckeye Scoop’s co-owner and founder, Nevadabuck revealed, “I’ve had a great source involved in Big 10 expansion that gave us the heads up on USC, UCLA…gave us the heads up on Oregon, Washington…If you’ve been a person who’s listened to the show religiously, you know how far in advance we had this over other people. Now he’s telling me: Notre Dame to the Big 10!” 

Notably, this comes a month after Marcus Freeman had ambitiously noted all the positives behind their independent status. “I view it as a pro and we’ll continue to look at it that way unless something changes…We get to play coast to coast. You play multiple different teams from multiple different conferences. You started off the season in College Station. You ended the season in LA, and we’re in New York twice. So, we get to really view our program as global in terms of a national program, in terms of how we play, and the audience we play in front of. Now, it’s not much different than the Big Ten now, with UCLA and USC and some of the West Coast teams being in it.” But why exactly is Freeman’s team even considering such a move?

Well, as per Nevadabuck, “There’s two driving factors for this right now: One is the 2026 playoff reformat of which the Big Ten and the SEC control. And two, is the offer of private equity money that’s coming to forming of these new media rights entities that are going forward as well.” The proposed 14-team playoff format (4-4-2-2-1+1) would give four automatic spots for the Big Ten and the SEC, two spots for the Big 12 and the ACC, one for the Group of Six, and an at-large bid for ND if they finish with a high ranking, no chance for a first-round bye. 

“Notre Dame is being left with a binary choice,” the source added. “Their choice is really simple—join the Big Ten or be frozen out of the college football playoff because the only reason they’re in it right now is because politically they don’t want to completely isolate the independence.” But the message is clear. It’s time for ND to join a conference or be left behind. The insider is aware, “Notre Dame, I know they prize their independence. I know that’s part of their identity. I know they love their NBC deal,” but here’s the bottom line—“Notre Dame will be joining the Big Ten and I’ve got that from the most impeccable source.” 

Interestingly, if ND actually applies for a spot in the conference, it’ll be their fourth time. In 1899, they had appealed alongside Indiana and Iowa. However, Notre Dame did not send any officials to a Chicago Beach Hotel, Illinois, conference on December 1 that year, and were ultimately rejected in favor of the two. Then, with a bad taste left in their mouth from the 1926-Yost fiasco, Notre Dame denied being a part of the conference between the 1990s and the early 2000s on a third occasion, despite Delany’s efforts. 

“From their perspective, they had historic, bad feelings about the Big Ten…Our schools wanted to play them, and they did. But nevertheless, part of the Notre Dame mindset was they had been discriminated against. I think they also loved independence and the freedom it gave them,” the former Commissioner told The Athletic in July, 2023. Honestly, if being independent came with unending perks, you’d be convinced too…

Top Comment by IrishEyes

I think your source is off the mark here. I don’t see the SEC having the influence over the...more

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For starters, with the expansion of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the program has an undeniably easier path to the playoff, “than in the four-team era, where it made only two appearances from 2014-23”. What’s more? As per USA Today‘s Matt Hayes, by defeating Penn State in the CFP Orange Bowl semifinal (27-24), Notre Dame received a staggering $20 million CFP performance bonus check. Ohio State, on the contrary, despite winning the same number of games in the CFP, had to share the revenue with the Big 10’s 17 other schools. Translation?

A measly $2.5 million out of the conference’s $46 million bonus—or just 12.5% of what Freeman’s team received. Now, not to mention, the benefit of the Fighting Irish getting to handpick its games (six home games, at least one neutral-site game and five away games during the regular season), despite its scheduling agreement with the ACC. And last, but not the least…

Their media rights deal with NBC, that was just extended through the 2029 season in November, 2023. Now, not only does the package allow exclusive coverage of Notre Dame’s games regular season games, but also pays them an astounding $50 million per year, as opposed to the $22 million they got from the old deal. Looks like Notre Dame will be giving up on quite a lot if it joins the Big-10. But if it actually happens, that’s history made right there…

Having said that, as far as the 2025 playoff structure is concerned, it’s still under process. 

How the discussion for the 2025 playoff format went

While negotiations continue, the writing is on the wall. On Tuesday, representatives from CFB’s 10 Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame met for over seven hours in Dallas to discuss the 2025 playoff format. But they failed to reach an agreement. B1G commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey remained tight-lipped, but their silence speaks volumes. 

“I think it’s too early,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark stated. “The CFP’s going to run some models and then come back to us next month.” But any changes for 2025 require unanimous approval from 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s AD Pete Bevacqua. But with billions of dollars at stake and the consolidating college football’s power structure, the Fighting Irish’s independence may no longer be sustainable.

The Big Ten is playing hardball, and if the insider’s sources are correct, Marcus Freeman and his team will soon find themselves in a conference for the first time in the program’s history. The countdown to realignment is on—Notre Dame to the Big Ten is no longer a possibility. It’s an inevitability.