For everyone that spent years hoping that outside forces would force Notre Dame to finally join a conference, you might just get your wish. At least temporarily.
As the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout has wormed its way through college football, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have moved to conference-only season for the 2020 season, leading to speculation that the ACC, Big 12 and SEC will eventually do the same or something similar.
Notre Dame was never going to be left out in the cold -- they're still Notre Dame after all -- and now multiple reports say the ACC is considering a hybrid schedule that would include the Irish.
It's unclear if Notre Dame would be considered part of the ACC for this year, or if the Irish would satisfy the plus-1 for the ACC teams they happen to play. Here's a look at Notre Dame's schedule as it stands today:
Sept. 5: vs. Navy
Sept. 12: Arkansas
Sept. 19: Western Michigan
Sept. 26: vs. Wake Forest
Oct. 3: vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 10: Stanford
Oct. 17: at Pitt
Oct. 24: Off
Oct. 31: Duke
Nov. 7: Clemson
Nov. 14: at Georgia Tech
Nov. 21: Louisville
Nov. 28: at USC
Assuming we're playing football this fall, there's no way Clemson is not playing South Carolina. The same goes for Georgia Tech with Georgia, and Louisville with Kentucky. So it's unclear if Notre Dame would count as ACC games for those teams, and if the Irish would factor into the ACC standings.
Here are the ACC's remaining Power 5 non-conference games, in addition to the ones versus Notre Dame listed above.
Boston College: at Kansas (Sept. 19)
Clemson: vs. South Carolina (Nov. 28)
Florida State: vs. West Virginia (Sept. 5), vs. Florida (Nov. 28)
Georgia Tech: at Georgia (Nov. 28)
Louisville: vs. Kentucky (Nov. 28)
North Carolina: vs. Auburn (Sept. 12)
NC State: vs. Mississippi State (Sept. 12)
Virginia: vs. Georgia (Sept. 7)
The start date is a double-edged sword for the ACC -- and, indeed, all football leagues.
The longer you wait, the more time you give for the national numbers to improve and for hotspots within the ACC footprint to cool. On the flip side, the earlier you start, the more elbow room you give yourself to move games around in the event that becomes necessary.
No final decision is expected this week. In the meantime, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.