A Jersey Guy: Will ND become a member of the ACC family?
Let's play a game of "What if''.
Like "What if'' there had been NO COVID-19 issues this season and Notre Dame had remained an independent in football?
And "What if'' the Irish had taken care of business as expected in their non-conference games against USC, Stanford, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Navy and Western Michigan—The Irish would have been favored in all of them?
And "What If'' the Irish had also swept through the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of their schedule—Wake Forest, Pitt, Duke Georgia Tech, Louisville and Clemson.
If that had happened, they would be sitting in the No. 2 spot in the CFB Playoff ranking (maybe even No. 1) with a glittering 12-0 record, playing in the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl, possibly against a one-loss Clemson in a rematch.
They would have had ALL of their NBC television money (approximately $15 million) plus a portion of the ACC television revenue pool, maybe another $10 million.
Would that scenario have been better than the 10-1 ACC co-championship they earned in this season's make the rules-as-you-go pandemic season?
And finally—the question which will linger until it is definitively answered in the next few months—will ND tell the ACC that family life was nice, but they would prefer to go it on their own?
On the surface, the indicators are that the Irish will go back on the independent road, keeping their connection with the ACC thru the six-game a season deal they set up several years ago.
But that comes with risks—one September loss can collapse a season's dreams based on winning a national championship.
If the call were being made from the ND campus, the decision would probably be to join the ACC full time.
The Irish players and coaches LIKE being part of a family, like playing for a conference championship, comfortable that they can stub their toe once or even twice and still have a potential seat at the main CFP party table.
But they don't call the shots, never have, never will, which isn't a bad thing if it is based on reality and not on a concept of ND football that evaporated years ago.
Notre Dame, whose only loss this season came a few weeks ago in the ACC championship game rematch with Clemson, is almost a 20-point underdog to Alabama in their meeting in the Rose Bowl game (played in Arlington, Tex. this year because of COVID issues).
Part of that perception of a rout is based on recent history.
The Irish have not won a New Year's Day or BCS or CFP game since 1994. In the five BCS, CFP bowl games the Irish have played since 2001, ND is 0-5, being outscored by a combined margin of 188-60.
In their last two post season meetings with Clemson (2019 Cotton Bowl CFP semifinal and the 2020 ACC championship game), Clemson has won both games by a combined score of 64-13.
Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly and athletic director Jack Swarbrick must look beyond this week in making their assessment about the future of Irish football.
The enticing part of permanent ACC membership is that the Irish can have the BEST of both worlds, with financial security guaranteed and scheduling made easier since there will only be three or four slots to fill every season, if the ACC reverts to an 8 or 9 game conference schedule.
This year the conference played 10 conference games which would be a deal breaker for ND as they want national exposure for their product.
Whether the Irish can pull off an upset on Friday or another one on January 11 could be a factor in deciding what happens next season and beyond.
Either way, the Irish will be forced to make a decision shortly after the season is over.