Arizona State Univ. "doesn’t plan" to let Notre Dame back out of its scheduled '14 football game in Tempe "so easily," according to Doug Haller of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The "agreement was signed" in February '08. ASU Senior Associate AD Rocky Harris said, "If Notre Dame chooses to unilaterally breach the agreement that they have signed over five years ago, it will negatively impact us competitively and financially." Notre Dame’s move to the ACC is the "complicating factor." The football program "agreed to play five ACC schools on a rotating basis starting in 2014." ASU’s Oct. 5 game against Notre Dame this season at Cowboys Stadium is "not in jeopardy." That contest is part of Notre Dame’s "Shamrock Series," which allows the school to "play home games in different parts of the country." ASU officials "first learned of Notre Dame’s intent to cancel the 2014 game Friday through a phone call to the school’s media-relations office, which handles the bulk of football scheduling." ASU already had "focused marketing efforts around next year’s game, which was expected to sell out Sun Devil Stadium." The university had "started mailing out promotional material for the contest." ASU officials "expect a resolution within the next month" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/10).
