Notre Dame is saving the 2020 football season and shows how much power the Fighting Irish still have. How did this happen? Let’s think back to when Big Ten and Pac-12 announced that they were planning conference-only schedules and the rest of the Power Fives were rumored to be following. Where does that leave Notre Dame? Troubled, in a way, with games against USC and Arkansas gone and an ACC schedule potentially in trouble. But do not worry. Notre Dame is smarter than the rest. They tapped on the ACC, the conference they’ve been using (and have been using) for the past few years, and whispered in their ears, “Hey, we’ll join your little conference this year, what do you say?”
Next thing you know, the ACC is welcoming Notre Dame as a full member in 2020, allowing the Irish to play for their league title and become the first conference to announce a full schedule plus an off-game. The conference. And now we are out and running. The SEC has been forced to make a move, and the rest of the Power Five have to get their asses going and figure things out as well. We went from fear of missing a season to massive momentum for college football 2020. We’re not out of the woods yet, but now we have more hope than ever. And we can all thank Notre Dame.
The SEC’s announcement that there are no off-conference games kills the annual rivalry between the following teams, and it breaks down who wins and who loses from this.
South Carolina vs. Clemson: Clemson would have blown up its doors, so this is clearly good news for the Gamecocks and Will Muschamp. Yes, they want the rivalry game as an opportunity to improve recruiting with an unlikely annoyance, but we all know that was not going to happen.
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: The yellow jackets would have clearly been destroyed in this game, so this is a victory for Georgia Tech. Some think UGA could use automatic victory, but this season that doesn’t matter as much.
Florida vs. Florida State: The Seminoles would have lost this game and probably badly missed it, but they honestly needed this game for recruiting purposes as they are being recruited in the state. But overall, this is a victory for the Seminoles.
Kentucky vs. Louisville: This is a difficult decision because both teams are solid. It would give Louisville an advantage here since Kentucky have shaved them the last two times.
