The query of Notre Dame’s independence — that means the Preventing Irish aren’t connected to a convention — was introduced into the foreground forward of the Orange Bowl and Faculty Soccer Playoff semifinal matchup between Marcus Freeman’s crew and James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions.
In a joint information convention forward of the sport, Franklin was clear that he believes Notre Dame ought to be a part of a convention.
“That is no knock on Coach or Notre Dame, however I believe all people ought to be in a convention,” Franklin mentioned, according to ASAP Sports. “I believe all people ought to play a convention championship recreation or nobody ought to play a convention championship recreation. I believe all people ought to play the identical variety of convention video games.”
Whereas that is an opinion doubtless shared by many — particularly the grasping executives of the Huge Ten or SEC, who would salivate on the likelihood to convey Notre Dame into the fray — the Irish’s independence is one thing Freeman sees as a promoting level.
“We view it, I view it as a professional,” Freeman mentioned. “We’ll proceed to have a look at it that means till and except one thing adjustments. We get to play coast to coast. You play a number of totally different occasions from a number of totally different conferences. You began off the season in Faculty Station, you ended the season in LA, and we’re in New York twice.”
“We get to essentially view our program as a worldwide by way of a nationwide program, by way of how we play, and the viewers we play in entrance of.”
The independence actually makes Notre Dame distinctive. Actually, in 2025, Notre Dame might be certainly one of solely two unbiased faculties, with the opposite being UConn.
Freeman is correct that it does not lock the Irish into particular matchups or video games and it permits them to maintain their model expanded. That could be why different coaches don’t love the thought of all of it, however except one thing adjustments, Freeman was clear that it is a bonus he will proceed making an attempt to promote.
“We view being unbiased as a constructive factor, and we promote it to our recruits and our gamers as a constructive factor,” Freeman defined.
