Notre Dame has held on to its independence in football since the dawn of college athletics, but time's, they are a' changing. USC and UCLA heading to the Big Ten in 2024 has thrown the entire landscape in flux while simultaneously putting more pressure on Notre Dame than ever before to join a conference. That has given Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick the keys to the realignment vehicle, though don't expect him to put petal to the metal anytime soon. 

"We don't feel any particular urgency," Swarbrick told ESPN (subscription required for full story). "We think there's ample time for us to let the landscape settle."

This puts the rest of the college football world in a bind. CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd recently reported that the Big 12 is looking to poach six teams — Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State — from the Pac-12. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 has been looking to save itself in the form of an alliance with the ACC. The Big Ten has said that it is willing to wait out Notre Dame — which is an ACC team in every conference-sponsored sport other than football — to make a decision. 

Simply put, Notre Dame dictates everything.