Today's Topic: Notre Dame joins the ACC

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Notre Dame joining the ACC might have been a surprise initially because news hadn’t leaked before the official announcement.

Really, the move was inevitable.

Oh, the Big Ten seemed to be a more logical place for Notre Dame, but it was just a matter of time before the small South Bend school sent its own shockwaves through the reshaped college landscape.

The biggest news is not that ND will be joining the ACC in all sports except football and hockey. The significant part of the deal is this: the Fighting Irish football team will play five ACC teams annually.

Basically, Notre Dame football will remain independent in name and revenue only.

You see, tradition means little in college athletics today. It’s all about self interest, survival and money -- and the three usually are intertwined. Kudos to school president Rev. John Jenkins and athletic director Jack Swarbrick for understanding that.

Notre Dame needed to leave the Big East. The once proud, powerful conference, especially in terms of basketball, is dying; its football league already is on life support.

ND officials needed to find a new home for their non-football sports while looking out for the future of their signature program.

With restructured mega conferences having added complexity to future football scheduling, the Irish needed to avoid slates filled with mid-major and Big East foes.

Even with five ACC games, Irish fans still will see their team play Southern California annually. Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Navy and Army likely will remain as regular foes, though probably not every year.

Notre Dame gives the ACC a credible institution, and the league gives the Irish quality competition in all sports.

From a football perspective, the Irish still will recruit nationally while becoming a bigger presence in the South. Oh, and the lucrative NBC TV contract isn't going anywhere soon.

Notre Dame football never has been irrelevant.  Sure, it has been absent from national title contention much of the past 20 years, when many school officials were guilty of death-gripping tradition and the idea the Irish could survive alone.

That’s not the case anymore. Everybody knows that. It’s as easy as A-C-C.