Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame rolls solo with an ‘independent’ tag for more than a century. Sure, they have occasionally joined conferences like we saw them in ACC during Covid, but for the most part, the independent tag almost stood like an iron curtain as they withstood the tides of NIL money, broadcasting rights, and even the rumblings of the transfer portal. This was probably because of the $20 million sole payout for their playoff games (in recent years), and it made sense, too. Since Notre Dame remained independent and bagged in all the broadcasting money without having to share a penny. But now, with time, there may be some inner reflection, as the Irish have just signed a deal, which might not make them a part of a conference, but it’s a start and a signal of just that.
We all know how the broadcasting rights work in college football and how billions of dollars are guaranteed for conferences every year. Currently, the Big 10 and SEC are the top dogs, as the Big 10 gets more than a $7 billion deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC that will run til the year 2029-30. Moreover, the SEC had announced a $3 billion 10-year TV deal with ESPN in 2020. Now, Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame is also after the same money that conferences promise.
The ACC conference’s viewership might not be the same as the Big 10 or SEC, but it still is the ‘power’ conference and thus has signed a deal worth $3.6 billion in 2012, which was recently extended to the year 2036. So, Notre Dame, having experienced the flavors of the ACC before in 2020 and even made it to the conference championship, has now finally agreed to put pen to paper on a deal involving the ACC powerhouse Clemson Tigers.
