ESPN has a simple priority in the ACC’s uncertain future: keep the league relevant, keep Notre Dame happy, and, if possible, make Notre Dame-Miami a yearly event again.
That idea sits at the center of a quiet scheduling conversation involving ESPN, Notre Dame and the ACC. The network and the league have explored a way to give the Irish more control over their five-game ACC slate, a move aimed at protecting the conference’s value while preserving ESPN’s long-term football inventory.
Notre Dame’s current setup requires the program to face five ACC opponents every season. It works for now, but the arrangement gets much shakier if the league loses marquee teams.
ESPN knows what that would mean. If Florida State, Clemson or North Carolina leave, the ACC’s appeal would lean even more heavily on Notre Dame.
And if the Irish ever moved their partnership away from ESPN to NBC, Fox, CBS or a streaming platform, that would hit the network hard.
So ESPN has conceptually backed a plan that would give Notre Dame more say in those five games. The Irish already have established ties with Pitt, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Boston College, and those matchups provide the kind of consistency and familiarity the network likes. The fifth spot is where the real upside lives.
That’s where Miami comes in.
The Hurricanes remain one of the biggest variables in the next realignment cycle. If Miami does not get a Big Ten invitation and stays in the ACC, ESPN sees a major opportunity. A yearly Notre Dame-Miami game would instantly carry real national weight on ABC, and it would bring back the kind of energy that once defined the Lou Holtz and Jimmy Johnson era.
Under the current rotation, the Irish and Hurricanes are not set up to play each other every year. That only changes if ESPN and the ACC let Notre Dame pick its opponents. From the network’s point of view, the upside is obvious: a built-in rivalry, stronger ratings, a more attractive ACC television package and a matchup with playoff relevance that no competing network could easily duplicate.
The bigger picture is about leverage and survival. ESPN controls the ACC’s rights through 2036, so the network has a direct interest in keeping the conference healthy.
A weakened ACC would send more valuable football inventory elsewhere. Keeping Notre Dame engaged and satisfied helps protect that investment.
If Miami remains, the ACC keeps a major football brand. If Notre Dame gets more flexibility, the Irish get control.
If ESPN lands Notre Dame-Miami every year, it gets a signature game for ABC. In a conference facing another realignment wave, that alignment of interests may end up mattering most.
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Miami Could Suddenly Have A Familiar Tight End Decision To Make
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The timing is what makes this situation feel especially familiar and potentially complicated for Miami. The Hurricanes are past the drop/add deadline, which makes an immediate return to the roster unlikely even if the legal side of Baumans request moves forward, leaving the program to monitor a decision that could affect its tight end depth in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]