Notre Dame, Except Football, Headed to ACC
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Elsa/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Notre Dame will be headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference as a full member with the exception of football, ESPN college football insider Brett McMurphy reports Wednesday.
The football program will play five annual games against teams in the ACC, but will remain independent.
“We have monitored the changing conference landscape for many months and have concluded that moving to the ACC is the best course of action for us,” said Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame vice president and director of athletics, in a statement. “We are able to maintain our historic independence in football, join in the ACC’s non-BCS bowl package, and provide a new and extremely competitive home for our other sports.”
Notre Dame will join the ACC as soon as they are able to leave the Big East. The Big East requires members to provide 27 months notice before they are able to exit, but other schools like West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse were able to depart early by paying a higher exit fee.
“The ACC was founded on the cornerstones of balancing academics, athletics and integrity,” said ACC commissioner John Swofford in a statement. “Our partnership with Notre Dame only strengthens this long-standing commitment.”
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