ramblinman:
This was the topic of much discussion among friends as we tailgated at the ND-GT game. I never liked the affiliation with the ACC, mainly because it denies ND a national schedule it once enjoyed.
Before ND joined the ACC in football, the Irish played three Big-Ten teams, usually Pittsburgh, all three service academies, and Miami. Throughout the 50s and 60s, ND had relationships with Indiana, Northwestern, and Iowa, but consistently played MSU and Purdue. ND later added Michigan in the late 70s. My objection to the agreement with the ACC is it prevents ND from playing Big-10 teams it traditionally played. The trio of Big-10 teams, Michigan, MSU, and Purdue, contributed to a strong core schedule and lent ND a great recruiting tool for the Midwest. Moreover, the affiliation with the ACC blocks ND from playing a SEC team. ND was playing Tennessee often in the 80s and 90s.
This year alone, ND played five ACC teams. I want FSU and Clemson on ND's schedule every year. I would prefer to see ND schedule Duke, Virginia or, for example, VT every three years as opposed to annually to allow ND to play Washington or Texas as ND had previously.
Ideally, I'd like to see ND break the bond with the ACC and remain fully an Independent. I'd like to see ND resume annual meetings with Purdue, MSU, and Michigan. From the bosom of this schedule, I would prefer to see ND keep Stanford, annually play a UGA or a Tennessee, and maintain two of the three service academies. ND could easily schedule a Toledo, WMU or, on occasion, play Utah.
In a perfect world, I would also like to see ND break its television agreement with NBC because I believe NBC is a driving force behind ND's scheduling and night games (I hold night games in complete contempt). For the last two decades, ND has earned tens of millions from the network, but the contract has given far too much power to NBC. I don't care to have NBC dictating to the university.