ESPN's Brett McMurphy reports that Notre Dame will exit the Big East and head to the ACC in all sports except football. However, football will play five games annually against ACC opponents. The question will be on when the Irish can officially make the move. The Big East currently requires a 27-month notice before a team can leave the conference, although Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia have negotiated earlier exits recently.
The other big questions will be the scheduling conflicts. Notre Dame hasn't announced their future football schedules beyond 2013, but a quick look has all the usual suspects such as Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, USC, Navy, and Stanford, ACC foes Pittsburgh and Boston College, plus other teams like Texas, Temple, Arizona State and Northwestern What happens to rivalries such as Michigan, USC, and Navy with the addition of five ACC opponents each year and what happens to the games already put in place for future years?
Another angle to investigate will be whether this means Notre Dame is making this easier to join a conference in football if the need ever arises? Also, does this help the Irish with bowl game options if they do not qualify for the four-team playoff when that begins in 2014?
More news to come as it develops.
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