The Triple Option: Where does Notre Dame football fit in if the Power 5 breaks away from the NCAA?

Just as we all started to get excited about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this season and a possible troll job of epic proportions with the ACC — 2020 proves itself to be all-powerful once again.

It’s the Triple Option. LET’S GO!

FREE THE FUTURE

It’s about to get wild — er. There are growing concerns / hopes that the future of college athletics is about to change dramatically. On Sunday we saw that players in the Pac-12 have organized and published a list of demands for their institutions that include a wide variety of things — notably compensation and healthcare. This, of course, highlights the growing resentment between student athletes and their schools — as well as the NCAA.

CBS’s Dennis Dodd put together an extensive article about the growing possibility of Power 5 schools (and Notre Dame) breaking away from the NCAA all together. In fact, the meeting on Tuesday between the NCAA Board of Governors may have far more greater consequences than just if there will be fall championships this year.

It’s easy to lump Notre Dame in with the rest of the Power 5 schools because of money, power, and influence. Notre Dame has all three for certain, but do they have the will? Past statements by Jack Swarbrick would suggest that Notre Dame wants to stay out of anything that looks like paying players — although he isn’t opposed to some type of NIL agreement.

Even if something like this happened and Notre Dame went along with the other schools, how would that look? Would Notre Dame then HAVE to be in a conference for football? Would conferences be overhauled? Would there even be “conferences” or would it be some type of regional pod thingy majingy?

I don’t have a lot of answers, and I’m still coming up with questions to gain a bigger scope. My advice is to pay close attention to what happens this week and how the powers-that-be respond.

THE BAND GETS THE HOOK

The ACC announced that no bands can play on the field this year. This now includes Notre Dame. One of the casualties to the college football season — should there still be one — will be the loss of many gameday traditions. The tradition of the band playing across campus and marching into Notre Dame Stadium to go through the pregame rituals is one of them. This will include the Irish Guard.

Grim.

CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME C.R.E.A.M

Everyone is worried about the financial situation with Notre Dame’s inclusion with the ACC in 2020. A lot of takes are pretty terrible, and some are starting to realize Notre Dame may be making out pretty well in all of this. That $11,000,000,000+ endowment didn’t just materialize out of thin air.

HERE COME THE IRISH REBOOT

Notre Dame did a little refreshing to an old favorite. Amidst uncertain and bad news, here’s a little something that should help you feel a little better.