There were rumors circulating that Notre Dame would finally be joining the ACC as a full-fledged member in football. It already does so in numerous other sports and the only ones that aren't considered full ACC members are football and Men's Hockey. The move would have made sense to give the school a better shot at making to the College Football Playoffs since they would participate in a conference championship game.
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However, it looks like Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick is shutting down those rumors and reiterated that the Fighting Irish will stay independent for now. He said during the ACC spring meetins that the rumors were "absolutely not true. We love the ACC but we love our relationship the way it is and there hasn't been any discussion."
Notre Dame only has to play five ACC football games a year since they are not a full-time member and actually had the same arrangement with the Big East until making the move to the bigger conference in 2013. Notre Dame has been able to stay independent for so long thanks to a television deal with NBC that is quite lucrative.
[h/t Orlando Sentinel]
