'Speculative talk' Notre Dame can be offered ACC invite, maintain NBC TV deal

Notre Dame has one of the most valuable brands in college football because of the school's exclusive TV rights deal with NBC, but according to media consultant Jim Williams, the Fighting Irish can be offered an invitation to join the ACC while maintaining their relationship with the "Peacock Network."

"There's speculative talk that the ACC might offer Notre Dame a spot in the conference, allowing them to maintain their home games on NBC and benefit financially from ACC football revenues," Williams told me.

Per The Observer, the student newspaper of the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College, Notre Dame's contract with NBC is valued at $50 million per season.

"Notre Dame is expected to receive around $50 million per year from NBC, in addition to the $17 million it receives from the ACC," The Observer's staff reported. "Notre Dame’s total compensation is slightly less than what members of the Big Ten would receive. NBC has held the rights to Notre Dame football since 1991."

As The Observer notes, a key connection is keeping Notre Dame and NBC tied together. AD Pete Bevacqua was the chairman of NBC Sports before joining the university's athletic department.

ACC can offer Notre Dame something SEC, Big Ten might not be willing to

The SEC and Big Ten both want Notre Dame, but the ACC may have the ultimate trump card here: allowing the Fighting Irish to have two TV revenue streams from NBC for home games and ESPN, via their deal with the ACC, for road contests.

College football's white whale has all the leverage here.

Notre Dame doesn't have to join a conference at all. But if the Fighting Irish conform to one, they can maintain their unique status in the college football world and make more money than any other program in the country.