With mass chaos spreading across college football, one major pundit who is tired of the sport's nonsense is SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum.
Finebaum, who doesn't shy away from being himself whenever he sees fit, didn't hold back when discussing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish being left out of this year's College Football Playoff nearly a year removed from competing for a national title in an eventual 34-23 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In a heavily-debated decision, the College Football Playoff committee opted to not select the Fighting Irish in favor of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Miami Hurricanes instead.
Regardless of whether one should agree with their rationale or not, Finebaum proposes one easy solution: join a conference. More specifically, join one with proximity that makes logical sense.
“It could happen,” Finebaum told Dan Patrick about the possibility of Notre Dame dropping its independent status. "Now, they have that contract with the ACC, and I’m sure some of the bluster with Pete [Bevacqua] was to get out of that, and I’m sure at some point, the ACC is going to let them go. But yeah, the SEC and the Big Ten would probably be more than happy to fill in that role, but I think the Big Ten is where they belong, even on a limited schedule.”
This could be a dream fit for the Fighting Irish, as they would be able to maintain their rivalry with the Purdue Boilermakers. Adding to that, the Michigan State Spartans series will return this fall, and it could open the door for a continuation of an annual matchup with the USC Trojans.
Alongside those games, it would give Notre Dame leverage to be part of a national brand that isn't its own. And it would also give it the opportunity to establish new rivalries with teams it otherwise would not have played under its current model.
It remains to be seen whether this ever comes to fruition, but if the timing isn't more appropriate, now it would probably be it.
We'll see if Notre Dame acts the part.