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How the conference-only schedule will impact the college football playoffs
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The ACC is considering partnering with Notre Dame as a quasi-league member for the 2020 season only, sources confirmed to CBS Sports, with the idea that Fighting Irish would take into account an 11-game schedule that would include 10 ACC games and a non-conference. affair.
Notre Dame, the country’s most powerful independent college football program, would likely play a 10-game ACC schedule plus one game without a conference instead of its six normal ACC opponents, the stadium’s Brent McMurphy reported Friday.
That would possibly allow the Irish to count in the ACC qualification for the 2020 season. What has not yet been determined is whether Notre Dame would be eligible to play in the ACC championship game or receive ACC’s automatic seat in the Orange Bowl as a possible league champion.
Notre Dame has a bowl association with the ACC, but in this scenario, the Irishman might be eligible for that automatic position as ACC champion.
“I suppose they would be eligible. If they are inside, they are inside,” an ACC source told CBS Sports.
For the loyal Golden Domers, and for football fans everywhere, Notre Dame vying for a conference championship would be another jarring change during this offseason change.
Such a move would essentially align the ACC with the Big Ten and Pac-12, which have gone to conference-only times for the 2020 season.
CBS Sports reported this week that all Power Five conferences are considering “plus one” models, albeit potentially with different total game numbers.
All ACC movements are subject to presidential approval.
Notre Dame has already lost games against Wisconsin, USC and Stanford since its 2020 calendar after Big Ten and Pac-12 schedule announcements.
The remaining non-ACC games for the Irish on the calendar are Arkansas, Western Michigan and Navy.
