Report: Big Ten expansion not expected to impact Notre Dame's independent status

One of the biggest dominoes on the conference realignment front is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish remain independent, and that doesn’t seem like it will change anytime soon as the Big Ten weighs its next move.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, any potential moves by the Big Ten are “not expected to impact” how Notre Dame looks at its independence. The Fighting Irish have been viewed as a pivotal target as the conference realignment winds blow, but the university has made it clear it wants to stay independent.

The Big Ten has always had interest in Notre Dame, but a source told On3’s Pete Nakos the Fighting Irish could be closing in on a new TV deal of their own.

Sources: Any potential changes in the Big Ten are not expected to impact Notre Dame’s view on independence.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 3, 2023

NBC, of course, is also part of the Big Ten’s landmark media rights agreement that goes into effect this season. The network will still be the exclusive home of Notre Dame football, though. The broadcast team of Jac Collinsworth, Jason Garrett and Zora Stephenson will also be back for its second year together.

Could the Big Ten expand again?

The realignment winds are howling, and the Big Ten finds itself in the middle of it once again. As uncertainty grows around the Pac-12, the conference is looking into potentially adding Oregon and Washington. Two current Pac-12 teams — USC and UCLA — are already on their way to the Big Ten in 2024, but based on how things currently stand with the Pac-12’s ongoing media rights talks, the Big Ten could be preparing to pounce.

However, it doesn’t want to be the league to “kill” the Pac-12, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel, who broke the initial news of “exploratory discussions” the Big Ten had about Oregon and Washington.

“The [Big Ten] doesn’t want to be the conference that killed another conference, especially their supposed alliance partner. It was a really beautiful relationship that they had,” Wetzel told On3’s Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “I find this comically hysterical because it encapsulates college athletics. We’re not going to kill you, but we already killed you … Taking USC and UCLA away is what will eventually kill the Pac-12.

“There is a scenario where they survive, but if Arizona goes and all of a sudden it gets rocky. If Utah and Arizona State go with them to the Big 12, we don’t know if the Big 12 can get to 16 teams. Will their broadcast partners keep giving $31 million to the bill to add Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. … If this thing falls, the [Big Ten] is circling the [Pac-12’s] carcass and saying, ‘What do we want?’ and just pick this apart.”