As we finish the long July 4th weekend, one question has moved to the forefront of the swirling speculation about the future of college athletics: Was this Notre Dame’s last Independence Day as an independent?
Since the jarring announcement last week that USC and UCLA are headed to the Big Ten in 2024, all is quiet beneath the Golden Dome. The longer it stays that way, the more one can surmise the Fighting Irish are weighing their biggest decision in decades. Maybe ever.
After the earth shifted again last Thursday, the next consideration has been the other attractive acquisition candidates available as the industry consolidates power into two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC. Notre Dame stands alone at the top of that list—as desirable as ever, and perhaps as vulnerable, too.
