For decades — as the five- and six- and seven-win seasons became the norm — Notre Dame was told that it would never be a national contender again unless it joined a conference, preferably, it seemed, the Big Ten.
Critics claimed there wasn’t enough money as an independent; Big Ten teams get more guaranteed revenue even with the Irish having their own NBC deal. Likewise, there was not enough schedule stability or marketing power for recruits, who seemed to flock to league brands, especially the SEC.
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