"As long as we can, we will": Marcus Freeman sends clear message on Notre Dame's position amid conference realignment drama

The conference realignment drama had taken over college football last season, where plenty of teams from the Pac-12 joined the Big Ten and SEC in pursuit of better revenue and tough competition. Altogether, this led to a huge implosion, and the Pac-12 conference was almost doomed until it was taken over by Teresa Gould last season.

Things have been pretty much the same for Notre Dame, where fans and experts have been raising concerns over the program’s position as an independent school. Head coach Marcus Freeman intends to keep it the same, at least for the foreseeable future.

While speaking to Joel Klatt on his podcast this week, the Notre Dame head coach shed light on his stance on why he believes the program should be independent.

He claims, it gives the team more liberty to choose the opponent across the country and sign long-term agreements. But things could change in the future, and he is willing to cope with the changing dynamics.

“It's what this football program was built from. And as long as we can, we will,” Freeman said when asked about how long he intends to play independent. [Timestamp - 4:40]

“I have a lot of confidence in our administration and our AD, that he'll always keep us in a position to be successful.

"So as long as we can keep that independence, we will, but if there’s ever comes a time that we are at a disadvantage because we're not in a conference, I'm sure he'll make the decision, along with our president to say, 'All right, we're going to join one of these conferences and position ourselves to not be negatively impacted by being independent,” he added.

Marcus Freeman reveals when Notre Dame could contemplate joining a conference

The recent shift of powers in the SEC and Big Ten has created a stir in the college football landscape. Almost all the major programs are now part of these two leagues. Slowly, there could also be a possibility that the NCAA's powers slowly get shifted to these two powerhouses, where they dictate the scheduling and regulations in college athletics.

Freeman acknowledges these changes and vows to adjust according to the situation. There could be a time in the future when Notre Dame fails to reach agreements with top schools and takes a massive hit on the strength of their schedule.

The Irish would be left with no choice but to make a sensible decision to join a league, something that Freeman thinks could happen and vows to play along.