Why is Notre Dame independent of the major athletic conferences?

Question: Why is Notre Dame "independent"?

Answer: Tradition and money. Notre Dame has flirted with conferences over the years, but it has always gone its own way in football. In the old days, it could play a more national schedule that way, with annual games with Army, Navy, and Southern Cal. There's still some of that, of course, but it wouldn't be able to have its exclusive tv deal with NBC with a conference set-up. The conference advantages show up in other sports, in which Notre Dame plays in the Big East.

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