Dan Patrick makes bold proclamation when addressing Notre Dame's future in SEC, Big Ten expansion

Notre Dame continues to be a hot topic of discussion due to conference realignment happening around the NCAA. They have found themselves being mentioned alongside either the Big Ten or SEC since USC and UCLA’s move out east. Still, the Fighting Irish have seemingly maintained their independent core value in these discussions. According to Dan Patrick, that might not be the case for much longer. It might also be time for the conferences themselves to play dirty if not.

Patrick discussed Notre Dame’s conference questions on Monday’s episode of the ‘Dan Patrick Show‘. He thinks they don’t need to budge at all but that the withdrawl of a few other ACC teams could force their hands.

“Notre Dame is still the outlier. My source said Notre Dame was not going to commit and didn’t think there was going to be any commitment. If they do, maybe it would be the Big Ten. That would make the most sense, but they don’t have to is what I was told,” said Patrick. “Keep an eye on Clemson, Miami and Florida State. If they joined the SEC, then it’s mic drop time.”

This continues to be a back and forth conversation. While the conferences want Notre Dame, they don’t necessarily want or need a conference. Their TV deal with NBC has more than paid the bills in year’s past. However, the biggest obstacle for the Irish to remain independent is postseason opportunities. Missing out on the College Football Playoff due to their schedule could put Notre Dame in a compromising spot, which is why Patrick thinks that’s exactly what the other conferences should do.

If Notre Dame doesn’t want to join a conference? Fine. From there, Dan Patrick believes the best option is to ice out the Irish out altogether.

“This is what I would do if I was the Big Ten. I would say to my schools, ‘You can’t play Notre Dame.’ I want USC to play the teams that are going to be in the Big Ten. I want USC to play Rutgers. (It’s) not a rivalry, obviously, but I don’t want to share my team with another conference or with Notre Dame,” Patrick said. “If Notre Dame wants to play Army, Navy, and Air Force? Go ahead. I don’t want to share. I want to be territorial here and to help the schools in my conference.”

Independent status remains to be Notre Dame’s biggest strength, yet it could become their Achille’s heel in a hurry. This is where the Irish need to draw a line in the sand and decide what they value once and for all. Remaining independent through these changes would set a precedent moving forward of where their autonomy ranks for them. It could come at the cost, though, of any appearance of national prominence for the school moving into the future.