34 Replies
2mo
1. There is an scheduling agreement with ND. its not exact 5 a year, but can collaborately be 4 one year and 6 another year.
2. Like Clemson agreement, these scheduling agreements are independent of the ACC allocated games.
Big picture. ND might have years where the acc games are not power games for national names. Clemson assures it. Also ND and Stanford has a rivalry, and with the ND and USC game cancelled, ND wants to have a sustained prescence in the West coast.
Remember, its always about Notre Dame.
However, with the ACC success initiative, the conference allocates these games, and they going to allocate the ND games to the ones who can guarantee the best ratings on a natoinal platform. Therefore might be unlikely the ACC going to promote a home and home with Wake.... or NC State. For brands I bet ACC pushes emphasis on continued UNC (empty brand), FSU, Miami clemson, GT (atlanta market), SMU for Dallas market, UVA and VT (maybe). more minor for Pitt Cuse, BC Louisville Cal or Duke).
This is another reason why VT is raising investment and focus on athletics/ football. Their goal is to be the "branded' program that requires to be in the portfolio with Clemson, FSU, Miami that requires to be on the media national stage for a game with ND.
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
T
TerryD
2mo
.....be "about Notre Dame"?
(In response to this post by 1947Sunbowl)
2mo
with Stanford. But we hate the ACC heavy schedule.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
ND agrees to play 6 ACC teams but only if they get to pick the teams.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
It's just Stanford's OOC scheduling with ND.
(In response to this post by VT ChemE 1986)
2mo
anyway, it counts towards Notre Dame's annual 5 ACC games obligation, but otherwise not. The same thing goes for their Clemson scheduling agreement.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
ND will get whatever they want from the conference because the ACC has zero negotiating power right now. The long media contract and GOR give the ACC short term survival, but also means they are locked in and have no room to negotiate. The ACC has no power right now.
(In response to this post by VT ChemE 1986)
2mo
scheduling agreement with Clemson? I suppose you can call them conference games, but ND football is not in your conference. it looks to me that Stanford, by having these scheduled games with ND will inflate their media numbers. Any ACC school that has a scheduling agreement will help their media numbers - and with the uneven distribution model that hasn't been revealed, does that help VT in any way shape or form?
I don't get why you think this is a good thing, because the media contract is set until 2036.
Now, if ND signed a scheduling agreement with VT - that would get my attention.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
I don't think there's a universe where VT and ND engage in a long term scheduling agreement. ND has no respect for VT; I'm sure they're still pissed off about having to play in Lane Stadium.
** Edited by Baltimore_Hokie at 5/22/2026, 11:27:15 AM
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
BYU games are good for BYU but unless it's a permanent scheduling agreement, it doesn't help the conference. Alabama canceled their series with OSU, so scheduling OOC with the top brands is a win any school should take, anytime they can.
BTW, id ND had played and beat BYU last year, they would in all likelihood have made the playoffs.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
2mo
between ND and the B12, similar to the ACC setup.
ND playing individual B12 teams OOC really doesn't do anything for the Big 12 itself, unless you're factoring in a potential media narrative like "B12 program beat ND!!!" Media narratives are OK I guess, but I don't think it would otherwise "help" the B12. There's no association between ND and the conference. Frankly, I don't think ND will be making any more of that kind of deal, because it has buyer's remorse from doing it with the ACC.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
least a long term agreement that runs through the next contract, there could be a nominal increase in the conferences media package. It certainly doesn't hurt the conference, but a ND game every other year, even with one school, bumps the viewership.
100% agree with you that ND will not enter into a similar agreement with the B12 like they currently have with the ACC in any circumstance. If ND has an out, and they might, I think they would walk away from the ACC in a heartbeat, and schedule long term agreements with almost any school they would want. Especially if the playoffs go to 24.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
2mo
I thought you believed playing ND was beneficial not only for the schools that play them, but for the conference as a whole.
You seemed pretty happy to hear ND playing BYU, a B12 school.
Now that ND is playing more ACC schools, you're shifting your focus to individual schools?
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
I'm not trying to needle you, but I'm not sure what you're getting at when you're playing "gotcha" here. The ND-ACC scheduling agreement is good for the ACC. The only parties that really benefit from a ND-individual school scheduling agreement are ND and that individual school, and when that school is an ACC school scheduled outside of the contractual rotation, it actually harms the other ACC institutions, because that's money they're going to lose at some point because of the ratings boost that school will get and then be factored into their uneven share of the media rights distribution from the conference.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
If I remember correctly, the Big 12 fan didn’t think ND would end up playing a sixth ACC game. He thought Notre Dame would cherry-pick high-profile schools and count those toward their five-game requirement.
That was because he believed the ACC was in a much weaker position than ND and would accept whatever Notre Dame wanted.
Apparently that’s not happening. Now he doesn’t seem to care about the ND-ACC dynamics anymore.
But if my recollection is incorrect, I will apologize.
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
2mo
Jim Phillips and the ACC really pushed back on that and made clear that the contract required a standard rotation that averaged out to 5 games a season, and any games ND scheduled independently with ACC programs wouldn't count against that requirement unless they happened to come up in the rotation for that specific season.
Basically, ND tried to get cute but the ACC put its foot down. But, while I agree with the position the ACC took there, honestly, I think it just goes to demonstrate one of, if not THE primary issue I have with the way the conference is run - that position was taken to protect the zero value programs in the ACC that ND never wants to play, not the football brands.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
OOC games, unless they are already in the rotation. "Playing" ACC schools is different than having a 6 game scheduling agreement with the ACC - WHICH HAS NOT HAPPENED.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
None of those OOC games are counted toward 5 games. So they play six ACC schools.
By the way, I never said ND - ACC arrangement would be changed.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
about conference payouts were abut the NEW contract - not the old one you keep talking about. What was i wrong about/
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
scheduling agreement with Clemson, I'm wondering if ND is filling out it's schedule in case something happens to the ACC. The Stanford game they announced is for the last game of the season - a West Coast Game like they had with USC.
Anytime ND plays an ACC school, or any school for that matter, is good for that school. I am more interested in how it works with the uneven distribution part that are based on viewership. Does Stanford get a bump in ACC payouts based on being in prime time against ND every year?
I know where you stand with the B12 - but comparing the conferences is almost silly at this point. We all see it, and 2030 should bring some changes to the ACC. I am paying particular attention to the conference distributions to the individual schools, and the formula that the ACC uses. Uneven distributions may be the only way the smaller privates or other G5's will ever have a shot of playing the "P4" schools.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
Highest ACC: Clemson $55.1 million
Lowest ACC (other than new comers): Wake Forest’s $42.8 million.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
B12 contract starts 2025-2026. Also, last year didn't have the uneven distribution model, so last year was and has been baked in the cake for some time now. I'm not sure how I can explain that anymore than I have.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
seem to have issues with me.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
all that much next year for the B12. And BYU, UCF, Hou, and Cincy will get the full share which will reduce the average of the other 12.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
to be a rivalry game, like Navy or USC. I think that's about as deep as it goes.
Since 1988, ND has played Stanford every year except 1995-1996 (their scheduling contract signed in 1987 lapsed and b/c of prior commitments, ND couldn't get the series back on the schedule until 1997) and 2020 (COVID.)
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2mo
may come back on board, but they must get something other than football games in California. students, donors, recruits????
(In response to this post by Baltimore_Hokie)
S
Stech
2mo
article? If so, I missed it.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
2mo
Notre Dame and Stanford University have agreed to extend the Legends Trophy Rivalry for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
For actual schedules, check the below site
https://fbschedules.com/2027-notre-dame-football-schedule/
** Edited by RandomAsianGuy at 5/21/2026, 5:56:39 PM
(In response to this post by Stech)