College football is set to undergo more major changes in the next few years, and Notre Dame is one of the blue-blood programs that’s trying to carve a space in the new era of the sport.
One coach would rather the famously independent Fighting Irish get on board like most of the country and join a conference.
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There has been chatter this spring that the College Football Playoff could expand to 16 teams from 24 teams. The SEC is in favor of the 16-team model, and there has been chatter that the conference could break away from the rest of the NCAA to start a new league of its own.
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A detail of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Stadium on September 13, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua talked about the possibility of forming a “super league” for college football during a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday regarding the Protect College Sports Act.
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“If you want to truly maximize the media value around the largest sport, in terms of eyeballs, which is college football, I do think the best way to do that is a super league,” Bevacqua said, via video from Andy Staples of On3. “I certainly don’t want a super league and I’m not sure anybody necessarily wants a super league. Flooding the market, aggregating the market, bringing it to an aggregate form to major media companies, I’m not sure that’s going to drive the value some say it will.”
“If you wanted to maximize media value around college football, I think you would take 24-30 teams, create unbelievably competitive scheduling where a team like Notre Dame would play Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and start to get a number that more closely resembles an NFL number.”
Illinois head coach Brett Bielema responded to Bevacqua’s comments, arguing the Irish would have a tough enough schedule if they joined a Power 4 conference.
“Some guys really like to talk about something that could happen and who they might play…. Actually it’s pretty easy just join a conference,” Bielema posted on X.
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Bielema has a point.
The Irish have had a tough time finding elite competition to schedule during the regular season as the Big Ten, ACC and SEC go to a nine-game conference schedule. Notre Dame recently lost its former annual rivalry game with USC. To replace the Trojans, the Irish added BYU to the schedule.
A super league comprised of Power 4 programs and Notre Dame seems like the best solution for college football in the future. While it may be prudent for the Irish to join a conference in the near future, it makes sense for their athletic director to lay the foundation for the super league as soon as possible.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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