telling anyone that will listen, that ND will have no problem scheduling P4 games later in the season. They might have difficulty with Michigan, Ohio State, and some other blue bloods, but...... Stanford? Clemson? Navy? - then look at the 10 schools that ND has played historically, and you will find some former Big East schools, MSU. Purdue, and of course USC. BTW, none of the ACC schools, except for a few former Big East schools are on that list. Of course, you also have the B12 schools that would schedule them in a heart beat, and adjust their "conference schedules" to accommodate, but none of those schools are traditional ND opponents - so, while ND could schedule about any of the B12 schools, anytime they want, I do not think that ND has too. Purdue and MSU would sign a "Clemson" deal in a heartbeat. ANY ACC school would do the same. There might even be an SEC school or 3 that would do the same thing - regardless of the 9 game conference schedule. While I'm not saying the schedule would be a cake walk, ND could do it. How does UConn get games in October or November? How did BYU do it before they joined the B12? Hell, if UConn can do it, you don't think that ND could? ND needed a place for their basketball and non revs. Not a lot of conferences that are better with those when compared to the ACC. ND sold those 5 games to have a place for their non revs - NOT for the ability to schedule Duke, WF, NCSU, and others in football. ND could, and would schedule better P4 schools if they were not stuck in the ACC deal they signed on to.