Considering Conference: Does Football Need It?

This is a piece about basketball, football, and conference membership, and it’s one of those pieces that drives a lot of people to distraction, seeing as it’s mostly devoid of statistics and objectivity. The ones of people who read this either be staunch proponents of our football independence or at-peace with our football independence. That said, I cannot help but consider our position relative to the ACC whenever tournament time rolls around.

To say that conference membership has been good for Notre Dame’s basketball teams is an understatement. When the Irish joined the Big East for the 1995-1996 season, the mainstream media noted that membership would positively impact recruiting and…