One expert calls for forming of a new conference headlined by Notre Dame and Stanford

The push for Notre Dame to join a conference has never been as high as it is now

The last few days have seen Stanford and Cal go from looking like locks to join the ACC to now appearing to have one less option when it comes to their future. 

Even with the push from Notre Dame to get them into the ACC, the two programs out West came up two schools short in favor of them joining of the necessary 12. While Notre Dame was pushing for their entry, there didn't seem like a willingness for them to have their football team join the conference.

However, their athletic director recently revealed why they pushed for the two programs to get in, citing they are the rare combination of schools that rank as highly as they do academically that also have high level athletics. A stance that On3's Andy Staples pushed back against recently, and expressed that Notre Dame could save Stanford and Cal if they truly wanted to. How would they do so? Well, Staples believes that if they wanted to they could create a new conference made up of "world-class academic institutions".

In doing so it would pair together programs with previous rivalrous relationships, and also allow for Notre Dame to make their own rules. However, while Staples conjured up the idea he is well aware it would never happen.

So what’s in this for Notre Dame? Nothing, really. And that’s why it would never happen. The Irish can make more money and stay completely independent in football or they can make even more money by someday affiliating with either the Big Ten or SEC.

He continued saying that this has all been a lesson on not trusting those who are in charge of college football.

This is just another example of why you should never listen to what the people in charge of college sports say. You should only watch what they do.

Staples even went as far to say that if Notre Dame truly wanted to help Stanford and Cal they would, but they will only do what is best for them. 

Sure, Swarbrick thinks it would be a tragedy if Cal and Stanford didn’t have a major conference home for their sports. So do most people who work in college sports. But Swarbrick and his associates in South Bend actually have the juice to fix what they have identified as a problem. Will they do that? No. They will choose the best path for Notre Dame — which is absolutely their right — and let the others fend for themselves. 

Let's take a look at what this proposed conference would look like according to Staples.

Notre Dame

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Staples believes that this is perfect for Notre Dame football, as it gives them the chance to do things their way. Their other sports could remain in the ACC, or they could join this conference depending on what they'd want to do. Obviously Notre Dame would have some legal matters to settle being they are contractually obligated to join the ACC in football if they do join a conference. 

Stanford and Cal

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The two Pac-12 programs that Notre Dame was campaigning for in the ACC, Stanford and Cal would get a chance to keep their rivalry with each other and Notre Dame. They would also be in a conference that values academic prestige as much as they do. 

Army, Navy, and Air Force

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The three military academies are all academically prestigious and all offer rivalries of their own while being able to create new ones. Navy obviously has their rivalry with Army, and the three of them play for the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy. Not to mention, Navy is also a long-standing rival with Notre Dame. This would be an interesting pairing due to how far these schools are from one another with West Point being in New York, Navy in Maryland, and Air Force in Colorado.