Notre Dame Football: Power Ranking Options If the Irish Have to Join a League

While conference realignment has been a mainstay of college football conversation and analysis over the last couple of years, one of the game's flagship programs has recently been more and more involved in the conversation.

Notre Dame. Of course, it isn't the Irish involving themselves in this conversation. Notre Dame's independent status allows it to live comfortably as an anomaly in a world dominated by the major conferences. 

Having an agreement with the BCS that basically guarantees the Irish a spot in a BCS Bowl if they finish in the Top 8 doesn't hurt either. 

But as conferences continue to expand and non-conference schedules shrink, the possibility of Notre Dame eventually joining up with someone is becoming closer to a reality. 

A non-football member of the Big East for years, some would say that's an obvious choice. Being practically a native of the Big Ten has others assuming that's really the only place for the Irish. But the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 are out there as well. 

So, realistically speaking, what's the best situation for Notre Dame?

The Non-Possibilities

Before we dig any further into this, let's clear the air. Notre Dame isn't going to the SEC or the Pac-12.

The SEC just added Texas A&M and it looks like Missouri will be following shortly, so they don't need Notre Dame. However, Notre Dame doesn't need the SEC either, nor should the Irish be interested in burying its once-prestigious football program at the bottom of college football's toughest conference. 

As for the Pac-12, the best rivalries are already in place and that's not going to change anytime soon. Logistically it doesn't make any sense to join either, so there's little point in discussing it. 

You could argue the same for the Big 12, but we'll indulge you a bit there.   

4. The Big 12

It's tough to argue in favor of joining a conference that has seemed like it was on the verge of dissolution two years in a row, but at the end of the day the Big 12 is still standing. Now that it's poached West Virginia and TCU from the Big East, the losses of Texas A&M and Missouri won't be so harsh. 

Travel distance would be an issue as would the less than impressive TV deals and revenue-sharing system, but it isn't completely crazy.

Notre Dame would solidify the conference, same as it would in the Big East, and end any talk of things falling apart. With West Virginia on board, there would be two new TV markets to add to the pool as well and while the competition on the field would be touch, it isn't SEC tough. 

3. The Big Ten

Notre Dame has basically been an unofficial member of the Big Ten for years, but up to this point have never really shown interest in joining even though they've been offered the chance before. 

The main reason is simple. Location. Right now it's nice for Notre Dame to play the Big Ten and maintain strong, rich rivalries with its members, but join and TV deals get tied down to a region with a slow-growing, and in some cases declining, population rate. 

That may not seem like too big of a deal, but in the long-term it adds up. Notre Dame doesn't gain anything by joining the Big Ten and it's possible that it could hurt the school's football recruiting efforts outside of the Midwest in a nine-conference game schedule that would eliminate the possibility of a lot of national competition. 

Sometimes it's better to just stay friends.

2. The Big East

Considering all of Notre Dame's other major sports are already members of the Big East, you'd think this one would be the simplest choice. But with West Virginia, Pitt, Syracuse, TCU and maybe even Louisville gone, it's hardly a conference anymore. 

The Big East is scrambling to add new teams and has sent invites to Boise State, Air Force, Army, Navy and others. 

Considering the traditional rivalries Notre Dame has with the Armed Forces and the strength Boise State would add, it actually makes a lot of sense. 

There's still good money to be had as a member of the Big East. With that resume of teams the BCS would still grant the conference its automatic bid and the lack of serious competition could have the Irish in position to compete for a BCS Bowl every season. 

1. The ACC

When discussing the possibility of the ACC, you can't have this conversation without mentioning basketball. Yes, basketball certainly comes second to football for the Irish, but with the additions of Pitt and Syracuse, the ACC is SEC of basketball and it matters more than you think. 

Notre Dame would love to have its basketball program tied to the ACC rather than a now-diluted Big East. 

But from a football perspective it makes sense as well. The ACC could be expanding to as many as 16 teams should Notre Dame and one other school join. The conference has every major market along the east coast and prime-time recruiting pipelines steaming from South Florida. 

The addition of Notre Dame would put the ACC back in the spotlight. With FSU, Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Clemson and Georgia Tech, it also can be a strong football conference—when it wants to be—but not the type of conference that Notre Dame couldn't annually compete for titles in.