The ACC will include Notre Dame if the conference cancels nonconference games during the 2020 football season.
It’s widely-believed the ACC and PAC-12 will follow the Big 10’s lead and cancel all nonconference games during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a problem for Notre Dame because they’re an independent, but already have plenty of ACC teams on the 2020 slate. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Well, it sounds like the Fighting Irish won’t be left out in the cold. According to multiple reports, ACC commissioner John Swofford plans on letting Notre Dame play ACC competition if they move to only conference games.
ACC football also expected to play conference-only games, sources told @Stadium. Last month, ACC commish John Swofford told @Stadium if Power 5 schools played conference-only schedules that ACC would assist Notre Dame with as many games as it needed
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 9, 2020
#ACC commissioner John Swofford has said that if league adopts an all-conference football schedule for 2020, Notre Dame likely will be in mix. Irish already have six ACC opponents on docket.
— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) July 9, 2020
John Swofford has said that Notre Dame – scheduled to play 6 ACC games – could add additional ones to make up for games canceled, if they need. UM-Notre Dame would be most attractive such hypothetical matchup this season; the schools are scheduled to play in 2024 and 2025.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) July 9, 2020
One of the first things I thought of when the Big 10 pulled the plug on the nonconference slate was what would happen to Notre Dame.
There are a couple other independent teams, but the Fighting Irish are by far the most important. Would they really get left out in the cold?
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It doesn’t look that way at all. I think we all expected them to roll with the ACC, and it sounds like that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
You also have to wonder if some ACC executives will try to use this situation to force Notre Dame into joining the conference permanently.
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I’m not sure there’s any way to get that done, but you know some people never let a crisis go to waste. There has always been a movement to get ND to join a conference, and it looks like the ACC might now have an avenue to force it.
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Either way, Notre Dame is playing football in 2020 if the season happens. There’s zero shot they’re iced out.