Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 DECEMBER 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED S hould they, or shouldn't they? The endless debate over whether or not the Fighting Irish should preserve football indepen- dence resurfaces about this time every year. But we finally have a clearer answer this time around. The most popular argument for joining a league is that with the ongoing expansion and con- solidation of the power confer- ences, Notre Dame will soon be forced into a league, and waiting around would diminish its bar- gaining power when the inevitable happens. While that may be a fair argument for someday, the 2024 season and Notre Dame's comfy place in it as an independent proves that someday is not today. As we all ride together this sea- son on the maiden 12-team Col- lege Football Playoff voyage, it becomes increasingly clear that Notre Dame's setup as an independent and its ease of playoff inclusion are worth protecting. As an independent program, former Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick — a driving force behind writing the new CFP rules — under- stood he couldn't get all he wanted, so he conceded that the four first-round byes should be reserved for conference champions, and the only route for Notre Dame into the tournament was through an at-large invitation. At the time, for- feiting any chance at a playoff bye — even with an undefeated regular season — seemed like a lot to give up. It's not. Because as the 2024 play- off picture developed, it became clear that trading a potential playoff bye for a chance to rest, kick back and watch other power conference teams canni- balize each other during championship game weekend Dec. 7 provides a cozier setup. Some evidence into the risks of play- ing in a championship game came last year — albeit in a four-team playoff for- mat — when undefeated and top-ranked Georgia suffered a three-point loss to No. 8 Alabama in the SEC Champion- ship Game and became the first No. 1 team in playoff history to drop out of the top four in the last week of the CFP rankings. Had Georgia not had a game to play that weekend, it would've been the No. 1 playoff seed. That risk-reward scenario might be even more pronounced this year in a 12-team format when a two- or even a one-loss team playing in a conference championship game could be left out with a loss in what's essentially a little- to-gain, everything-to-lose proposal, in terms of playoff inclusion. "The feeling from some other coaches is that they don't want to be in a confer- ence title game," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. "The reward to get a bye in the playoff versus the risk to get knocked out completely with a loss, that's a really big risk." As another example, following its de- feat to Ohio State Nov. 23, a one-loss In- diana team had no interest in playing in the Big Ten Championship Game. An- other loss there would've undoubtedly knocked the Hoosiers out of any playoff consideration, while an open date on championship weekend kept In- diana firmly in the playoff mix. For Notre Dame, it gets the best of all worlds as an independent. The program's football rela- tionship with the mediocre ACC provides five winnable games for the Irish every season against a softer "conference" schedule than what the SEC or Big Ten play. The Irish are 37-2 against ACC opponents in the regular season since 2018. Add Navy to the five ACC matchups. Mix in a couple of mid-major cupcakes, and Notre Dame can essentially start each season 8-0, and put itself in line for at least 10 wins and playoff consideration every year. Then, remove a conference champion- ship game from the equation, and the independence island Notre Dame inhabits should be the envy of every other power program in the country. So, if the only downside to indepen- dence and no conference championship game is that the Irish can never earn a first-round bye in the CFP, sign me up. Because with its schedule and setup, Notre Dame stands a great chance of hosting a first-round playoff game ev- ery year, and pocketing the millions that will come with a home date against a lower-seeded opponent. Starting in 2026, Notre Dame will also receive $12 million from the CFP fund every year whether it makes the field or not, and grab an additional $6 million when it qualifies. Again, independence versus conference affiliation will al- ways be a hot discussion topic for Notre Dame football. But given the big dollars, coupled with the friendly path to double-digit wins and playoff consideration every year — all while staying clear of any risk a conference championship game could bring —reviving that stay-or-go debate can wait for another time. ✦ Director of athletics Pete Bevacqua and Notre Dame still get the best of all worlds as an independent, with big dollars and a friendly path to double-digit wins and playoff consideration every year. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER In Or Out, Independent Notre Dame Is In A Great Place Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com. UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE