As if Notre Dame wasn't annoying enough

Notre Dame football doesn’t plan on losing its independence anytime soon, in terms of a conference or its broadcasting deal with NBC.

Their deal, which was extended through the 2029 season, included a footnote about a yearly documentary series on Peacock that will follow the team throughout the season.

Sound familiar? It’ll be just like HBO’s Hard Knocks, but the college version. How the final product will turn out based on the ties between the university and the network will be seen.

The Irish’s AD Jack Swarbrick said a large part of choosing to stay with NBC comes with their acquisition of broadcast rights for the Big 10, despite the desire to remain independent. He told reporters “that was an important part of our decision, the fact that NBC acquired more college football rights. We were on a bit of an island.”

In terms of their independent conference island, Swarbrick said that they don’t do it for financial or competitive advantage, but because they “value the university.”

Swarbrick is set to step down as ND’s AD in 2024. His successor, Pete Bevacqua seemingly agrees that the best thing for both the Irish and the university is to remain independent going forward. The two share the same views, Swarbrick said.