The college sports landscape experienced a major shift on Wednesday as Notre Dame announced that it would be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports except football or hockey. The Fighting Irish are the latest team to make the move from the Big East to the ACC, and will now compete in Georgia Tech's league.
While the team will stay independent for football, it will play five ACC schools each season.
Notre Dame's hockey team announced last October that it would join the Hockey East starting with the 2013-14 season. With no Division 1 hockey offered by the ACC, that seems unlikely to change.
Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins said of the conference change:
"The ACC is composed of some of the most highly respected universities in the country, and we at Notre Dame look forward to joining them," said Notre Dame President, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. "With a mix of institutions - many of which are also private, similar to Notre Dame in size, and committed to excellence in research and undergraduate education - the ACC is an exceptionally good fit for us academically, as well as athletically."
It is unclear when Notre Dame will officially join the conference. All schools must give the Big East 27 months notice to leave the league, but that can be reduced by paying a higher exit fee.
For more on Notre Dame's move to the ACC, visit One Foot Down.