Notre Dame Fighting Irish Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have resisted joining a conference for football throughout its existence. And even as the College Football Playoff expands and conferences like the SEC and Big Ten grow in strength and power, college football expert Heather Dinich expects Notre Dame to maintain that independence.

During a recent appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, Heather Dinich explained why she believes that Notre Dame will maintain its independence and won’t look to join a conference anytime soon.

“Notre Dame does have its own line in the contract in all of it,” Dinich explained, according to On3. “It does have its own protections because of its brand and its financial value that it has and that it brings to the College Football Playoff. And I know there are people who love Notre Dame, who love to hate Notre Dame, but the reality is that they are going to continue to cling to their independence.

“They have every reason to because, quite frankly, they’re in excellent financial position. Because in the new (CFP) contract they will be making about $12 million, which is right around where the ACC and Big 12 will be.”

It’s worth noting that Notre Dame does compete in the ACC in most sports despite maintaining its independence in football.

[On3]