For generations, Notre Dame football has proudly stood apart. A storied independent since the early 20th century, the Fighting Irish have built a national brand unmatched by most programs. From Knute Rockne to Lou Holtz, from the Four Horsemen to Manti Te’o, Notre Dame has flourished in a self-defined space, crafting its own path with the swagger of a school that doesn’t need a conference to prove its worth.
But we’re no longer living in the age of paper schedules and regional rivalries. We’re in the middle of one of the most transformative eras in college athletics history. Conference realignment, television deals, athlete compensation, and a 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) have forever altered the landscape. And in this new world, independence is no longer a symbol of strength—it’s increasingly a limitation.
Notre Dame’s independence, admirable as it once was, is quickly becoming an albatross. And if the Fighting Irish are serious about continuing to compete at the highest level, it’s time to make a bold move and join the Big Ten.
This isn’t just about Notre Dame needing the Big Ten. It’s also about the Big Ten—and its current and future members—needing scheduling stability and equitable participation in a consolidated, increasingly competitive national framework.
Here’s why now is the time.
Let’s start with the obvious: scheduling is now a nightmare. Not just for Notre Dame, but for everyone trying to accommodate them.
With the Big Ten expanding to 18 schools (including West Coast powerhouses like USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington), conference schedules have grown increasingly tight. More intra-conference games are necessary, and non-conference openings are fewer. Programs are already battling geographic hurdles, increased travel, and longer seasons.
The hard truth is that continuing to fit Notre Dame in—while admirable—is no longer practical. The reality, as painful as it is for traditionalists, is that Notre Dame’s long-standing independence disrupts the competitive and logistical equilibrium that the modern Big Ten must now maintain.
For many Big Ten schools, maintaining a regular series with Notre Dame creates a scheduling imbalance. Every game given to Notre Dame is one taken from a potential conference matchup—one that now might feature a CFP implication, a TV ratings bonanza, or a historic rivalry that the Big Ten itself needs to protect.
And as Big Ten schools continue to face increasing competition in playoff positioning, strength of schedule, and health management of student-athletes, it’s no longer reasonable to build around a team that refuses to reciprocate full participation.
It’s not personal. It’s structural.
Notre Dame’s status as an independent has often worked to its advantage. The school has historically been able to build competitive schedules, cherry-pick opponents, and rely on its national brand to garner high rankings and consideration for major bowl games. But the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams changes the calculus.
The new format awards automatic bids to the top five highest-ranked conference champions. As an independent, Notre Dame can never earn one of those five guaranteed spots. Its margin for error is virtually zero.
Every loss is magnified. Every game must be perfect. Even then, they risk falling behind a two-loss SEC or Big Ten champion with a conference title under their belt.
Joining the Big Ten doesn’t just stabilize Notre Dame’s path to the playoff—it enhances it. Win the Big Ten, and you’re in. Period. Even as a one-loss team, a strong finish in the Big Ten carries far more weight with the CFP committee than any independent resume could.
In a system increasingly designed to reward conference participation, independence is a handicap. And no elite program should willingly handicap itself.
Notre Dame’s deal with NBC has long been the gold standard for independent media contracts. But the Big Ten’s media deals with Fox, CBS, NBC, and Peacock have shattered that ceiling. The Big Ten recently secured a historic deal valued at over $7 billion, giving each member an average annual payout that will soon exceed Notre Dame’s exclusive NBC package.
If Notre Dame joined the Big Ten, they wouldn’t have to give up NBC—they’d be playing on NBC and CBS and Fox and Peacock. And they’d be doing so in premier time slots, as part of the most valuable and visible football conference in America.
The idea that independence protects Notre Dame’s visibility is no longer accurate. If anything, Big Ten membership now offers more exposure, broader reach, and significantly greater financial benefits—while maintaining the tradition of national relevance.
Some of Notre Dame’s greatest rivalries already exist within the Big Ten footprint.
- Michigan: One of the most iconic rivalries in college football. More than 40 meetings. Often national implications. Suspended, resumed, and now more important than ever.
- Michigan State: A rivalry steeped in Midwestern history, played 79 times.
- Purdue: A neighboring foe with tradition and passion.
- Ohio State: Recent matchups have shown the immense national interest in these two powers clashing.
Why should these games be occasional features when they could be conference staples?
Joining the Big Ten ensures these rivalries can flourish again, protected within a shared conference framework. It brings regional identity, historical continuity, and scheduling regularity back into the fold.
And now, with West Coast expansion, Notre Dame would have an excuse to play marquee games in California (vs. USC, UCLA) and stay true to its Midwest roots. That’s the best of both worlds.
Notre Dame is already a partial member of the ACC in most sports. But culturally and geographically, the Big Ten is the better fit.
Academically, Notre Dame matches the Big Ten’s research-focused and elite university cohort. Athletically, they’d bring immediate value across all sports, not just football.
Men’s and women’s basketball would find themselves competing against iconic programs like Indiana, Michigan State, and Maryland. Olympic sports would benefit from reduced travel and increased regional competition.
And let’s not forget the fans. Alumni and supporters would be treated to road games they can actually drive to. Away days would have a proper college football feel again. From South Bend to Columbus, Madison, Ann Arbor, and East Lansing—these are stadiums that feel like home.
Yes. Absolutely.
Joining the Big Ten doesn’t mean sacrificing Notre Dame’s soul. It means enhancing it.
The Irish can still play Navy. They can still honor the traditions of their past. They can still keep the Shamrock Series. But they’ll be doing it in a more stable, more sustainable, more nationally respected context.
Notre Dame wouldn’t be joining a conference to conform. They’d be joining it to lead. And the Big Ten, unlike other options, offers Notre Dame a seat at the table with schools that value education, competition, and cultural identity just as highly.
The Irish wouldn’t be just another member—they’d be a centerpiece.
This is more than strategy. More than dollars. More than playoff bids or media deals.
This is about belonging.
Notre Dame doesn’t need to abandon its heritage. It needs to evolve it. To build on it. To ensure it survives and thrives in an era where college football is no longer regional, no longer linear, and no longer static.
Independence has served Notre Dame well. But the game has changed. The country has changed. And the Big Ten is offering a home—a home that aligns with Notre Dame’s values, rivals its prestige, and secures its future.
In the coming years, schools will rise and fall based on the decisions they make today. The landscape is shifting under our feet. The smart programs are those that adapt before they’re forced to.
Notre Dame has always prided itself on being different. But being different doesn’t have to mean being alone.
It’s time to come home.
To the Midwest.
To the rivalries.
To the tradition.
To the Big Ten.
