ND didn't "give up" anything in terms of scheduling. They need long term football scheduling deals as much or more than a home for their non revs. Sure, any team wants to play ND, it is good PR and there is money. But with increased conference size and games, teams don't have room for OOC games in Oct/Nov, hence without long term deals, ND has trouble filling out Oct/Nov football schedules. Yeah, you first hear that and "No way" anybody would play ND anytime. But no. That is conference season, and IF teams play OOC during Oct/Nov it is almost always a cupcake to rest - SEC has "Cupcake Saturday" (google it) before their big games in November. Therefore, ND has to have long term deals to ensure they can completely fill out the October/November schedule every year. The occasional home/home and one offs happen, and they have no problem getting September games. But Oct/Nov games are hard for them to schedule consistently. ND posters (the ones who aren't saying screw you and flying off about how they can schedule anybody/anytime) talk about it all the time on ND boards. As have my ND friends. Look at almost any P4's future schedules - the dates in September for OOC teams are set, most several years in advance. Conference opponents are set years in advance. But, the actual dates for the late season in conference games are typically done earlier the same year. ND can't wait until dates for in-conference games are scheduled in the spring/summer of that year - then look for who is left at the bar at closing time. Most of all, look at NDs combined future schedules for October/November games thru 2030. For the next five years they include ONE outlier game with Auburn. All other games - after September - are ACC, Navy or USC. All of these teams are involved in long term contract type scheduling with ND - and why they are at the end of the season to coincide with other teams playing conference games. At that point, for scheduling purposes only, ND is an ACC member who just plays fewer ACC games. ND didn't need that when conferences were smaller. ND didn't give up games to schedule the ACC - they need(ed) a long term scheduling partner for end of season games to ensure they get P4 level teams, regardless of how bad the ACC teams have been recently.