The FBS Independent program at Notre Dame could not last as long as anticipated. However, there is a big “if.”
The Fighting Irish have been a staple of NBC college football Saturdays since 1991. Millions of fans can watch every Notre Dame Stadium game every week on television, cable, and satellite.
The Irish signed a contract extension with the network that ran until 2029. They received $50 million from NBC and an extra $17 million from the ACC (even though their football team isn’t officially part of the conference).
Andrew Hughes of Fly War Eagle reports that the Irish will explore all options, particularly with ESPN.
A long-term collaboration between ACC and Notre Dame is conceivable.
Jim Williams, a media consultant, noted in an interview that Notre Dame could make a move as a result of the ACC’s current pressure.
On October 1, Williams informed Hughes that there was “speculative talk that the ACC might offer Notre Dame a spot in the conference, allowing them to maintain their home games on NBC and benefit financially from ACC football revenues.”
As ESPN, ABC, and its network are given priority in the ACC’s media rights agreements, it is unlikely that Notre Dame will abandon the comforts of home very soon. With Pete Bevacqua as athletic director, the Fighting Irish already have a commanding lead. After holding the positions of chairman and president of NBC Sports since 2018, he was hired in the summer of 2023.
The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 14, are 4-1 going into their bye.
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