Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman lost it to Ohio State in a close title contention on January 20th in a breathtaking CFP final. But they are almost there. Freeman and his never-ending urge to hit the bullseye will hopefully initiate a compelling off-season and another brand-new season consecutively with fresh mojo.

The transfer portal moves are hinting at every sign of continuous progress heading into that path of supremacy but not only just the roster addition, it seems the Stars itself has written something over the top for the Fighting Irish for their upcoming year. Well, you can replace the stars with ESPN!

Notre Dame called out for pulling in another advantage in the ACC

If you are a regular college football fan, you are not foreign to the rumors suggesting Notre Dame’s independent status has offered the school a unique financial edge. Brace yourself, the notion is going to get only stronger with the latest ESPN move. The media giant has entered into a wholesome agreement with ACC that will compel teams like FSU, Miami & Clemson to regularly play more football games vs. Notre Dame. It will mark a schedule advantage for the Irish to some extent, and the critics can’t help getting mad.

People are complaining about Notre Dame cheating the system by manipulating their independence and for another year, they would get what they want on the table.

The new agreement is said to be worth US$3.6 billion in total, an uplift on the previous US$1.86 million deal signed in 2010 which was due to run until 2023.

Getting to the cusp of this year’s national championship game, Notre Dame has bagged $20 million in performance bonuses, including $4 million for making the inaugural CFP, $4 million for reaching the quarterfinals, $6 million for reaching the semifinals, and another $6 million for making the championship game. Their independent status allowed them to keep every dollar to themselves, not sharing it with the other conference schools. Oh, don’t just miss the fact that they are entitled not to play a championship game and reach a final or even win the trophy in case. All thanks to their highly debated independence.

The Irish were, however, considered an ACC team during the bowl selection. Also, the ACC has been a safe home for each of Notre Dame’s sports (except hockey) even apart from football for over the years. The Irish joined forces with the ACC as an official temporary member during the COVID catastrophe in 2020. They reached the conference championship game that year. But did you get a hunch that this would be the perfect time for Notre Dame to break their lone independent status and get back to ACC permanently given the new ESPN contract on the line? Well, if yes, it’s safe to say you have a deep football sagacity.

Is it a perfect juncture for Notre Dame to join ACC?

ACC has the only conference that can allow Notre Dame the much sought-after leeway to arrange the schedule just as they like. Just like how the deal offered ND at least two of the three games each season in a rotation, they can make it even bigger of their advantage if choose to sign up for the official ACC tag.

Also, from the financial grounds, ACC won’t have any issues with the Irish continuing their deal with NBC and Peacock, hence upholding the benefits they were reaping. On top of that, as per the latest ESPN deal, the ACC is already considering sharing their chunk of revenue with schools like Clemson, Florida State, and Miami. So, it could be an ideal opportunity for the Irish to chim in and bag a big piece of it.

Also, if Notre Dame takes that leap of faith, it would bring more financial ease to the conference, hence ensuring more revenue for the schools. However, as it seems, Freeman is happy with whatever they get from the latest concord and doesn’t have any plan to join the rank.