Notre Dame has netted the ACC about $16M from its 10 NCAA Tournament games as a conference memberGETTY IMAGES
Notre Dame has "brought plenty to the ACC" since joining as a partial member in '13, as many of the school's teams outside of just football and men's basketball have "been a boon" for the conference, according to David Teel of the Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS. The school "makes the ACC money." In men's basketball, Notre Dame has "played in 10 NCAA tournament games" as an ACC member, which will net the conference about $16M from the NCAA's TV rights deal, only $5.2M "shy of Notre Dame's entire share of ACC revenue to date." The school's "national brand" and Midwestern location figure to "make the ACC Network more attractive to cable providers." This is part of why Virginia Tech chose Saturday's game against Notre Dame to unveil its monument to former longtime football coach Frank Beamer, a decision that "speaks to the Fighting Irish's enduring appeal and assets they bring to the ACC." VT AD Whit Babcock said of Notre Dame, "They fit academically, they bring a lot of value, and our fans will turn out to watch us play them" (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 10/4).
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: In Greensboro, Ed Hardin wrote Clemson has been the ACC's "only bell cow" when it comes to football. But this year is "different for one reason alone: Notre Dame." Notre Dame "appears poised" for a run to its first CFP berth, meaning "one conference-affiliated school isn't getting in." It "also means you can forget Notre Dame joining the ACC as a full-time member in your lifetime" once they "prove they don't need a league pass" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 10/4).
