College football expansion: Notre Dame updates realignment stance

Where things stand with famously independent Notre Dame, amid a shifting world of college football conference realignment and expansion.

Nov. 17, 2007; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish players hold up their helmets / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

College football realignment is in the air once again, as a major wave of conference expansion is set to become official this summer, while two ACC schools are taking their league to court. But in a shifting world of conference loyalty, Notre Dame intends to stay the course and remain independent.

Athletic director Pete Bevacqua reiterated Notre Dame's commitment to not joining a conference in football, despite some speculation that the market will demand the school do so amid other realignment moves and the expanded College Football Playoff.

"We are now in as good of a position as we've ever been in the modern era of college football to be an independent," Bevacqua told ESPN.

He added: "You see all the conference realignment, you see everything that's happened, I think our position as being independent in football quite frankly in certainly more unique than ever, but also more valuable than ever."

Notre Dame still has a prominent voice in the structure of the expanded playoff, and more of a chance to qualify even the larger format, but not being in a conference could make the path to a national championship harder as a result.

By not being eligible to win a conference championship, and thus not being able to take advantage of a first-round bye afford to league champs, the Fighting Irish would have to win four straight postseason games in order to get a crack at the natty. And that's after playing a 12-game regular season schedule.

Financially, the situation is very much to Notre Dame's satisfaction, as the school is expected to earn over $12 million in College Football Playoff revenue distribution, according to early reports.

That's enough for the Irish to maintain their long-standing independence going forward, one note of stability in a college football landscape that is changing by the day.

(ESPN)

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