Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame potentially joining a conference: ‘Future of college athletics always uncertain’

Never say never when it comes to Notre Dame potentially joining a conference and leaving its long stance as college football’s most well-known independent, but that time hasn’t come yet, according to coach Marcus Freeman.

The 12th-ranked Irish (5-2) are off this week before beginning their stretch run on a five-game winning streak at Boston College on Nov. 1.

“The future of college athletics is always uncertain,” Freeman said Monday on Bussin’ With The Boys. “With private equity, with what’s going to happen with these conferences, if there’s a time that Notre Dame has to join a conference to ensure they can have the same opportunities to make the Playoff as everybody else, then I’m sure our administration would do it. 

“Currently, the administration and myself and all of us feel confident that if we win the games we’re supposed to win, we take care of the business we’re supposed to take care of, we have just as good of a chance to make the playoffs as anybody else.”

Freeman’s repetitious sentiment should come as no surprise since he has often echoed Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua’s words when it comes to the university’s strengths as an independent.

Without a tie to a conference, Notre Dame has flexible scheduling. Under its current agreement with the ACC, the Irish must play five games per year against league opponents. Furthermore, the school can schedule as many elite-level opponents — or few — as it wants relative to staying in contention.

That’s partly why Miami and Texas A&M were on this season’s slate, followed by a smorgasbord of favorable matchups in terms of talent comparison.

Why current playoff format benefits independent Irish

Without being tied to a conference, Notre Dame essentially battles for one of seven at-large spots in the current expanded playoff provided the five auto-bids from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Group of Six. 

Prior to this year’s seeding changes, Notre Dame was not eligible for an opening-round bye as a top-four seed under the previous format because those were designated for Power Four or Group of Five champions only. Now that the selection committee will have a true, 12-team power rating of the nation’s best, this means the Irish have much to gain by strong scheduling and successful seasons.

Look what’s unfolding this season for Freeman’s program. Despite losing their first two games of the campaign to the nationally-ranked Hurricanes and Aggies, the Irish are five wins away from getting back to the playoff while doing so with only one victory over a top-25 opponent (USC).

By winning out, Notre Dame would end the season on a 10-game streak, which would be one of the nation’s longest unless unbeatens Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and BYU remain unscathed the rest of the way. Ohio State and Indiana haven’t lost yet either, but with both of those teams being inside the Big Ten, they’ll play in the conference championship game ahead of the selection committee’s final vote.

Since the playoff’s inception in 2014, Notre Dame has made three appearances as an independent, including last year’s draw as the No. 7 seed hosting 10th-seeded Indiana.

Bevacqua said earlier this year the Irish were “in a very good spot now” as it relates to the playoff as an independent. 

“No secret, the expansion of the CFP from four to 12 teams has helped enormously, because as an independent, as with other schools, we get better opportunities, better percentages of getting in the playoffs, and the more you knock on that national championship door, the better,” Bevacqua said during an interview with ESPN. “And we like the freedom, quite frankly, it gives us. The fact we were able to play Navy at MetLife and had the Shamrock Series against Army at Yankee Stadium, that we can continue that great rivalry with USC — we really get to move around the map and keep that very national presence. It’s a wonderful thing for our football program and, quite frankly, it’s a wonderful thing for the university.”