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Amid the College Football playoffs changing from the four-team format to the 12-team format this upcoming season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the talk of the town.
The Fighting Irish football team has been functioning as an independent program for a while now. With college football undergoing a massive change, Notre Dame fans have been worried about them being left out of the conversation and possibly missing out on their chances of being contenders for the national championships.
Is Notre Dame to Big Ten a potential move after the expanded 12-team playoff format?
At the moment, there is no official announcement that the Fighting Irish are planning on becoming members of the Big Ten Conference. However, CFB insider Greg Swaim stated last year in October that Notre Dame could be heading to the Big Ten in 2025 amidst their contract deadlock with NBC.
The current agreement between the Fighting Irish and the NBC expires in 2024. As per reports, the Big Ten's new television contract has a clause that underlines their interest in adding the Fighting Irish as members of their conference.
This new contract states that the conference could receive additional financial compensation from FOX, ESPN and CBS if the Fighting Irish decide to become members of the Big Ten. The program's AD, Jack Swarbrick, stated last July that the Fighting Irish will continue to function as an independent program.
On the other hand, if the program decides to join the Big Ten, then it could potentially be receiving around $100 million annually in conference payouts. Thus, this monetary gain could go on to influence their stance on being independent or joining the Big Ten conference in the future.
Andy Staples and Tyler Horka explain why Notre Dame could benefit from a 12-team playoff format rather than a 14-team playoff format
There have been talks about the playoffs expanding from a 12-team to a 14-team format. However, according to Andy Staples and Tyler Horka, this could have negative implications for the Fighting Irish's independent stature.
" You could have as many as four auto bids for the SEC, four for the Big Ten, and then two each for the ACC and Big 12, and then one for the highest-ranked Group of Five team. I am bad at math, but that sounds like 13 of 14 spots," Staples said.
Horka then went on to add that the Fighting Irish have a better chance of making it to the playoffs in the 12-team format rather than a 14-team format.
"We're talking about seats at the table, that's the cliche that a lot of people like to use. Notre Dame is literally watching these chairs get filled up while it's just sitting there. That's when this gets scary."
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Do you think Notre Dame should become a member of the Big Ten Conference? Let us know your thoughts below.
