that football is driving the bus right now. So while the ACC may add members based on the assumption that football won't be driving the bus forever (which is entirely possible), it may still find itself on the outside looking in because it underestimated the value of the football. Now I am not suggesting it will happen overnight or any time soon because of the extension of the GoR. What I am suggesting is that when the current GoR expires, majority of the football sports may opt to leave the conference and Notre Dame could continue to do its best Fleetwood Mac impression and end the partial membership.

Heck Clemson, FSU, Louisville, Miami, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St,, and whomever else wants to join the party could decide to form their own conference (call it Metro 2.0). Depending on the landscape of collegiate athletics at the time and the loss of those members, the ACC could find itself as the weakest link in the power conference. It is even possible the ACC may not be consider a power conference anymore. While I am not an advocate of "keeping up with the Joneses" just for the sake of it. Sometimes you have to keep up with the Joneses just so you don't risk getting left behind.