As of last night, the possibility of the ACC adding Stanford and Cal had reportedly hit “significant roadblocks.”
ACC presidents had been discussing the viability of expanding westward and adding the two longtime Pac-12 rivals, and while some had obvious concerns, Notre Dame was bullish on the idea.
Fighting Irish AD Jack Swarbrick revealed his school’s thought process on Cal and Stanford to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, with Dinich sharing it on Twitter this morning.
“The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play D1 sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics,” Dinich tweeted.
ND AD Jack Swarbrick told me the reason they advocated for Cal and Stanford was because “The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play D1 sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics. https://t.co/b3rhc6Bd2A
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) August 10, 2023
Swarbrick is correct about Cal and Stanford’s academic reputations, and the Cardinal boast arguably the top overall athletic department in the country.
However, as we know all too well by now, conference realignment is definitely not about academics and isn’t even about football. It’s about big business, television contracts and the like.
Additionally, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel notes, Notre Dame’s backing of the two programs might not mean as much as you’d think to some administrators, since the Fighting Irish have remained independent in football despite belonging to the ACC for almost every other sport.