Conference realignment has been at the center of almost every college football media day this month, with coaches all over the country weighing in on what all the movement means for the sport's landscape. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the future of Notre Dame – currently an independent – is being watched especially closely, as the school decides how it wants to proceed. Speaking on The Fan's Afternoon Drive, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith, a Notre Dame alum, explained why he thinks joining the Big Ten is the school's best option.
"I love my alma mater," he said. "My alma mater did so much did so much for me and I'm blessed to have had that opportunity. But I've felt, as long as I've been an athletic administrator, that the Notre Dame football player deserves an opportunity to chase a championship, and not just a National Championship. The National Championship is the Holy Grail, so that should be chased. When I think about the opportunities that I've been blessed to be a part of, here at Ohio State, Arizona State, Iowa State and Eastern Michigan, the conference championship meant something. To have a chance to taste that, and then provide that next platform to jump to the next level, it's beneficial. There are certain points in time at Notre Dame where you're out of it. You can't chase the National Championship, so you're lost. I don't know, I feel like they should be. I would like to see all their sports in the Big Ten. Right now, they're flying over us. They could take a bus to Perdue, and Indiana, and Northwestern, and Ohio State, as opposed to flying to Miami, Florida. So, I don't know, I just think it makes sense. But I'm not behind those walls."
You can listen to the entire interview in the player below: