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SOUTH BEND, Ind., Nov. 13 — Notre Dame is staying as a football independent — for now. In response to a USA Today report that the school had inquired about full membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference, athletic director Kevin White said Thursday the university would “continue to monitor the landscape.”
THE NEWSPAPER, CITING unidentified officials within the ACC, said Notre Dame was “inquiring” about joining the conference.
One official also said the school also contacted the Big Ten.
School officials have previously said Notre Dame, a member of the Big East conference in other sports, has been approached by several conferences about joining, and that the university has declined.
“We’re staying the course with the Big East and we’re going to continue to monitor the landscape,” White said in the statement.
John Heisler, Notre Dame’s associate athletic director for media relations concurred.
“It’s the same thing we’ve said, the same thing we’re going to continue to say. We’re going to stand by that, and we’re going to stand by that for some time.”
ACC commissioner John Swofford said Thursday the league “has not initiated discussions with anyone regarding further expansion.”
“We are very satisfied with where we are as a 12-member conference,” Swofford said in a statement. “We have received some informal inquires concerning potential membership, but our schools are not pursuing any institution for membership at this time.”
The ACC expanded to 11 schools in June by adding football powers Miami and Virginia Tech from the Big East Conference for the 2004 season. Boston College is also leaving the Big East for the ACC, but perhaps not until 2006.
The unidentified ACC sources told USA Today that Notre Dame is looking to join a conference because of the uncertainty of the future of the Bowl Championship Series, which has tie-ins with six football conferences and Notre Dame. The current BCS contract ends after the 2005 season.
As a football independent, Notre Dame doesn’t have to share its gate receipts, bowl payouts or its multimillion dollar television contract with NBC. That contract is also up at the end of the 2005 season
THE NEWSPAPER, CITING unidentified officials within the ACC, said Notre Dame was “inquiring” about joining the conference.
One official also said the school also contacted the Big Ten.
School officials have previously said Notre Dame, a member of the Big East conference in other sports, has been approached by several conferences about joining, and that the university has declined.
“We’re staying the course with the Big East and we’re going to continue to monitor the landscape,” White said in the statement.
John Heisler, Notre Dame’s associate athletic director for media relations concurred.
“It’s the same thing we’ve said, the same thing we’re going to continue to say. We’re going to stand by that, and we’re going to stand by that for some time.”
ACC commissioner John Swofford said Thursday the league “has not initiated discussions with anyone regarding further expansion.”
“We are very satisfied with where we are as a 12-member conference,” Swofford said in a statement. “We have received some informal inquires concerning potential membership, but our schools are not pursuing any institution for membership at this time.”
The ACC expanded to 11 schools in June by adding football powers Miami and Virginia Tech from the Big East Conference for the 2004 season. Boston College is also leaving the Big East for the ACC, but perhaps not until 2006.
The unidentified ACC sources told USA Today that Notre Dame is looking to join a conference because of the uncertainty of the future of the Bowl Championship Series, which has tie-ins with six football conferences and Notre Dame. The current BCS contract ends after the 2005 season.
As a football independent, Notre Dame doesn’t have to share its gate receipts, bowl payouts or its multimillion dollar television contract with NBC. That contract is also up at the end of the 2005 season
