Could Notre Dame be the envy of college football if the CFP expands?
Could Notre Dame be the envy of college football if the CFP expands?
Michael Chen , Fighting Irish WireSat, October 17, 2026 at 10:06 AM UTC
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Notre Dame football could become the envy of the sport as ESPN’s Dan Wetzel explains if the College Football Playoff expands to 24-teams.
There are some potential changes to the College Football Playoff that could happen in the near future, and it could bring some new issues to deal with for Notre Dame football.
It has been reported that with an expansion, teams will be forced to play much tougher schedules, with only two Group of 5 teams allowed to qualify. This means that the Irish could see more Big Ten and SEC teams on its schedule, with some already having agreed to future series.
Notre Dame’s independence gives them the opportunity to do so, and its decision to stay this way with power conferences forming could pave the way for others to follow. Dan Wetzel of ESPN thinks that some big time teams could follow suit, naming Ohio State, Penn State (who had previously been independent) and Michigan as a trio that could join the Irish as major independents.
He mentions that “Notre Dame now has the best situation in all of football - almost 100 percent guarantee to make the playoff, freedom to schedule as it wishes, maximization of its own media value.” While many have been clamoring for the Irish to join a conference for years, the decision to continue to stay in their lane could turn out to be a massive win for the athletic department.
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If Wetzel is correct, the potential for other teams joining the Irish increase, with the blueprint being how Notre Dame operates.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Could Notre Dame be the envy of college football if the CFP expands?
Source: “AOL Sports”
