John Swofford's Savvy Moves End With Notre Dame Joining The ACC For 2020
From the beginning of this pandemic, ACC commissioner John Swofford has made strong move after strong move. This is especially true with how he grew the relationship between his league and Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is a member of the ACC in every sport except football and hockey. In football, the Fighting Irish have a relationship with the league that involves at least five games per season.
It is no secret the ACC wants Notre Dame to become a full-time football member as well, and Swofford's willingness to bend over backwards to support the Irish during this pandemic, ensuring Notre Dame would have a full 2020 schedule, was a savvy and smart move.
Here is what Swofford told ESPN about the decision:
"This simply -- as it has been with other aspects of the ACC-Notre Dame relationship -- is a win-win," Swofford said. "We're in a difficult situation, all of us in this country and in sports, and in the ACC we're trying to find the best path. We've said over and over again, we're in it together. It was the best thing for the ACC, it was the best thing for Notre Dame, and that makes it pretty easy when you know that.
"It was not hard for us to come to an agreement on that in terms of the television money. It was not hard for us to come to an agreement that if they were coming in, they were bringing their NBC games, they would play the same number of games as everybody else in the league, then they would be eligible to play in the ACC football championship game as well as the Orange Bowl, if they turned out to be our representative in the Orange Bowl ... and obviously the College Football Playoff."
In the article Swofford and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick both said this decision would have no bearing on the future independence of the Irish program, but just as clear is that Swofford's bold move will go a long way towards Notre Dame ultimately making the leap into the league on a full-time basis.
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