Notre Dame to join the ACC

The ACC just got a little bit more fight.

The conference’s council of presidents unanimously accepted Notre Dame into the ACC Wednesday. The Fighting Irish are currently scheduled to join the conference in the 2015-2016 season.

“It is my distinct pleasure to announce Notre Dame as the 15th member of the Atlantic Coast Conference,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Fighting Irish will join as a full member in all sports except football. Notre Dame will instead play five football games against ACC schools annually but remain independent. Notre Dame will, however, be a part of the ACC bowl lineup excluding the Bowl Championship Series games, Swofford said.

In the past, the ACC has insisted that schools have full membership in all sports, Swofford said. It is “significant” that they made this exception for Notre Dame. “What was best 20 years ago isn’t necessarily best in today’s world,” he said. “Now is the time, and this partnership is a win-win.”

The Fighting Irish will not be a part of any of the ACC’s football television contracts. But 20 percent of the conference’s TV revenue goes to basketball, so as an ACC member, Notre Dame will receive 1/15 of that revenue. In order to accommodate the new teams, the 15-team ACC basketball tournament will likely involve giving the top four teams a bye.

With the addition of Notre Dame this year—on top of Syracuse and Pittsburgh joining last year—the ACC now has 15 members. Swofford noted that there is no intention to add a 16th school to the conference.

Due to their current contract with the Big East, the Fighting Irish are scheduled to join the conference beginning in the 2015-2016 season, but that is something that they will try to accelerate, Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbick said.

“Notre Dame’s excellence in academics, strong traditions in athletics and international recognition make them a wonderful new conference colleague,” Brodhead said in his statement. “We look forward to the competition on the playing fields and courts, and further collaboration on the campus.”

Notre Dame’s geographic, athletic and academic fits into the league were all cited among the representatives at the press conference, with Swofford noting that 11 of the 15 ACC schools are among the top 58 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings released Wednesday.

“This is the best athletic conference in the country, and we will only make it better in that regard,” Swarbick said.

"It is my distinct pleasure to announce Notre Dame as the 15th member of the Atlantic Coast Conference," ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Fighting Irish will join as a full member in all sports except football. Notre Dame will instead play five football games against ACC schools annually but remain independent. Notre Dame will, however, be a part of the ACC bowl lineup excluding the Bowl Championship Series games, Swofford said.

In the past, the ACC has insisted that schools have full membership in all sports. It is “significant” that they made this exception for Notre Dame, Swofford said.

“What was best 20 years ago isn’t necessarily best in today’s world,” he said. “Now is the time, and this partnership is a win-win.”

The Fighting Irish will not be a part of any of the ACC’s football television contracts. But 20 percent of the conference’s TV revenue goes to basketball, so as an ACC member, Notre Dame will receive 1/15 of that revenue. In order to accommodate the new teams, the 15-team ACC basketball tournament will likely involve giving the top four teams a bye.

With the addition of Notre Dame this year, on top of Syracuse and Pittsburgh joining last year, the ACC now has 15 members. Swofford noted that there is no intention to add a 16th school to the conference.

Due to their current contract with the Big East, the Fighting Irish are scheduled to join the conference beginning in the 2015-2016 season, but that is something that they will try to accelerate, Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbick said.

Last year, Pittsburgh and Syracuse each paid a $7.5 million buyout to join the conference early for the 2013-2014 season.

Additionally, the conference’s exit fee has been raised to three times the annual operating budget, a figure north of $50 million, making it costly for any school wishing to depart. The strength of the conference and the high exit fee should be deterrents for schools thinking about leaving, Swofford said.

At the press conference, which took place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Swofford and Swarbick were joined by by Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins, North Carolina Chancellor Holden Thorp, Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch and Clemson President James Barker.

Duke President Richard Brodhead and Athletic Director Kevin White were not in attendance, although they released a statement through the school. Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski was not available for comment as he is on the road recruiting.

"Notre Dame's excellence in academics, strong traditions in athletics, and international recognition make them a wonderful new conference colleague," Brodhead said in his statement. "We look forward to the competition on the playing fields and courts, and further collaboration on the campus."

Notre Dame’s geographic, athletic and academic fits into the league were all cited among the representatives at the press conference, with Swofford noting that 11 of the 15 ACC schools are among the top 58 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings released Wednesday.

“This is the best athletic conference in the country, and we will only make it better in that regard,” Swarbick said.