“Take Them Off Your Schedule”: Ex-Coach Spills Beans on Notre Dame’s Nightmare If ACC Breaks Up
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish have long protected its independence in football. The Irish play major programs across the country without belonging to a football conference, giving them control over their schedule but leaving them responsible for filling it.
That task is becoming harder as conferences add more league games. The SEC and Big Ten now play nine conference games, while the ACC is also moving toward a nine-game schedule.
Those changes leave teams with fewer openings for nonconference opponents. For Notre Dame, that could mean fewer chances to schedule major programs.
Brian Kelly Warns Notre Dame About A Possible ACC Breakup
Former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly raised that concern during an Oct. 1 appearance on SiriusXM. He discussed a possible ACC breakup and questioned how the Irish would replace those games.
“They need the ACC because it provides them with inventory. It provides them games,” Kelly said. “If the ACC had a breakup, where does that leave Notre Dame?”
Kelly was referring to Notre Dame’s access to opponents. Although the Irish do not play football in the ACC, they have an agreement to face an average of five ACC teams each season through 2037.
Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule shows how much it relies on that agreement, with six ACC teams listed alongside three Big Ten opponents. Named opponents include Wisconsin, Rice, BYU, Navy and SMU.
Kelly’s warning is about what could happen, not an announced ACC breakup. Losing that scheduling agreement could make it harder for Notre Dame to fill its schedule while remaining independent.
Notre Dame Could Face Fewer Scheduling Options
Conference schedule changes help explain Kelly’s concern. The ACC is playing a nine-game league schedule in 2026, with 16 teams set to play nine conference games each year beginning in 2027.
The SEC has also moved to nine conference games. That leaves its teams with fewer openings for opponents outside the conference.
Notre Dame is not running out of teams to play. However, finding strong nonconference opponents could become harder as those openings shrink.
Kelly described the problem while discussing the SEC and Big Ten. “The last team you want to play is Notre Dame,” Kelly said. “So take them off your schedule.”
That is Kelly’s opinion, not a scheduling decision announced by either conference. Notre Dame still has major games scheduled and remains committed to staying independent in football.
Kelly’s concern is that an ACC breakup could leave Notre Dame with fewer reliable scheduling partners. Staying independent depends on finding enough quality opponents, and losing those ACC games could make that harder.
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The post “Take Them Off Your Schedule”: Ex-Coach Spills Beans on Notre Dame’s Nightmare If ACC Breaks Up appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.
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