Irish Breakdown

How College Football Changes Should Benefit Notre Dame in 2024

Will massive changes to the game help or hurt college football - and Notre Dame?

John Kennedy

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; CFP executive director Rick Clark speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; CFP executive director Rick Clark speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
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You know the saying. The only thing constant is change.

This phrase is certainly true when applied to the world of college football as it has undergone massive changes across the board at a very rapid pace.

Will these changes help or hurt the sport? Who will benefit most from all of the alterations to the very foundation of the sport we've all become used to loving for so long?

Most importantly - at least in our world - how do all of these changes help Notre Dame?

Let's explore some of the biggest changes set to take place for the 2024 season and how they may impact the entire college football landscape moving forward.

Conference Expansion Has More To Do With Money Than Geography

Conference expansion has been a thing for some time now. What hasn't been as common is multiple of the biggest brand names of the sport switching conferences all in the same season. How will USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon fare in the Big Ten? The nation can't wait to find out.

How will Oklahoma and Texas stack up the talent-rich SEC in their first year onboard? While these experiments will undoubtedly captivate the attention and interest of football fans from coast to coast, a large part of me will miss the concept of football conferences being regional and each one having their own unique "feel" and brand of football.

In today's landscape, money rather than tradition drive decision-making for better or worse.

All that matters for Notre Dame is that it's still an independent, while everyone else is dealing with far tougher conference schedules. The Irish ACC slate has its challenges, but it's not like playing in the new Big Ten or SEC.

Elimination Of Divisions Is An Understated Key Change To The Equation

One of the biggest changes that has taken place for the 2024 season is the Big Ten and SEC adding teams but also eliminating divisions. To me, this feels like a bigger deal than it is being reported to be.

This is a major change that will ensure there are no longer any cakewalk championship games against division winners who aren't well-rounded teams. These games should all be hard-fought battles between elites moving forward which is great for the sport.

How will the CFP Committee value these games moving forward? How punitive will they be against the losers in these games who played well enough to make it to the championship but fell short once there? Nobody knows quite yet.

No divisions means there won't be some random 8-4 team getting a shot to win a conference title. Notre Dame doesn't want the outliers - it wants as few random conference teams as possible available for the CFP.

Where Does Notre Dame Fit In The New College Football Playoff Landscape?

Due to its independence, Notre Dame is ineligible for a round one bye in the expanded CFP format. This means it will have to win four straight games to secure its first national title since 1988.

What are the odds Notre Dame, even a strong Notre Dame team, can make that kind of run? Hosting a first round game in South Bend in late December will certainly help make the journey more manageable but again, how often will the team really be in position for this setup?

So there are no divisions in conferences - Notre Dame doesn't have to play a conference championship game. So the Irish can only get a 5 seed - it gets a week off in the CFP, if it gets the 5 seed - and a home game against a team it could beat.

Basically, all of these changes should help Notre Dame ... as long as it wins.

All the Irish need to ensure they are included in the first expanded CFP to an at-large bid is keep on winning, get to at least 10-2, and send a message to the country that they plan to be in the field on an annual basis.

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John Kennedy
JOHN KENNEDY

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