With further expansion of the Big 10 and the SEC, Notre Dame remaining as an Independent MAY leave them on the outside looking in.
Each of those Conferences will be able to put together so many games with other major Brand Name Universities that nobody will have any need nor desire to play them.
And each of those Conference School will be flush with cash from their Conference TV agreement with other Universities clamoring to join.
And there is also the possibility of the Big 10 and the SEC putting an agreement together for some type of annual inter-Conference games.
Notre Dame could possibly end up with an empty schedule of games that matter. And see their Brand and TV funds diminished.
And Ohio State’s dropping games with Washington so close to the playing dates, and with such short notice shows just how fast things can change.
I can see coming difficulty for them without a full Conference Affiliation.
And because of their location and AAU membership, IMO there is only one Conference that makes sense from an above the surface view.
JMO, but I can see Notre Dame soon suffering from a somewhat similar situation, with a somewhat similar sense of urgency that Nebraska had causing their vigorous and very public pursuit of membership into the Big 10.