Ad Disclosure
Notre Dame AD open to alternative for conference championship game
Published:
At the end of the regular season, Oklahoma, Clemson and Alabama all played in conference championship games. Notre Dame, on the other hand, sat and waited for the dust to settle.
All four of those teams reached the College Football Playoff, but the Fighting Irish received some flack for having the benefit of not playing in a 13th game. While the Sooners, Tigers and Crimson Tide all could’ve possibly been knocked out of the playoff, Notre Dame was essentially a lock.
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that he’s open to the idea of fixing that issue. He actually even suggested an alternative for playing in a conference title game.
“We would love the opportunity to play a 13th game to take that issue off the table,” Swarbrick said. “Nothing would make us happier.”
Playing a 13th game isn’t exactly the same thing as playing a conference championship, but it would keep Notre Dame from being idle on that final Saturday. Whether or not that would appease fans critical of the Irish’s schedule is obviously unknown.
Notre Dame played 10 opponents from Power Five conferences and still finished the season 12-0. While they didn’t play in a conference title game, it was hard to keep the Irish out of the playoff considering the success they enjoyed through the season.
Still, there were some critics that wish Notre Dame played in that 13th game. We’ll see if Swarbrick makes any progress in adding another game down the road.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB