Notre Dame Football: What Agreement with ACC Means for Irish

Notre Dame sent shockwaves across the college football galaxy when it announced its intention to join the ACC as a full member in all sports except football, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.  

As part of the agreement, the Irish will annually play five football games against ACC schools—which is a game changer for both parties. 

Notre Dame gets to find a more attractive home for the rest of its athletic department, while the ACC adds the premier name brand in college football—which, even in a limited capacity, could help them secure a stronger position in the new playoff format coming in 2014.  

The Irish will leave the Big East—its previous home for all sports except football—as soon as it possibly can, which will likely require Notre Dame to pay a higher exit fee similar to new ACC imports Pittsburgh and Syracuse.  

Perhaps the biggest noteworthy element to the deal is that the lucrative television deal with NBC for Irish football will be unaffected by its move to the ACC, per Chip Patterson of CBSSports.com 

The Irish are familiar with facing schools from the ACC.  

In the last five years, Notre Dame has played against eight of the league's current 12 members either in the regular season or in bowl games.  

Plus, they also have played against the Panthers and the Orange in that same time span.  

One potential negative is the fact that the traditionally basketball-centric powers on Tobacco Road are still in the forefront in terms of the league’s brand image, while football powerhouses such as Florida State and Miami have fallen behind schools like Virginia Tech and Clemson on the gridiron.  

However, that may not matter if the Irish can duplicate the success they have recently enjoyed against teams from the ACC (Notre Dame has gone 7-1 in games against ACC teams and future members in the last two years).

Piling up wins against these schools in the future can play a role in helping Notre Dame re-emerge as a player on the national scene sooner rather than later.  

The move could also benefit Brian Kelly and his staff in recruiting by helping the Irish gain a stronger foothold in talent-rich states such as Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland. 

While some Irish fans may have preferred to partner with another league (like the Big 12), the move to join the ACC may prove to be the most beneficial for the future of the football program.  

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