Now that the dust has settled on the new of Notre Dame's sort-of addition to the ACC in football, fans and administrators at school like Georgia Tech are left asking one very important question: What about the schedule?
The ACC had previously announced it would expand to a 9-game regular season schedule before the Notre Dame news broke. With the Irish playing at least five ACC opponents a year, it's still unclear if those games will count as conference wins or losses. Plus, with nine conference games and Notre Dame on rotation, schools with permanent annual SEC rivalries -- Georgia Tech (Georgia), Florida State (Florida) and Clemson (South Carolina) could face an absolutely monstrous schedule each year that they play the Irish.
The AJC posits that this exact problem may force the conference to keep the eight-game format:
It will likely get discussed at league meetings in October and will be the decision of the athletic directors. Coach Paul Johnson was behind an eight-game schedule, as were most ACC coaches, even before the Notre Dame decision.
In addition to their standing series with Georgia, Tech also has pending series with Vanderbilt, Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Auburn. Clemson recently announced the cancellation of a two-game series with Ole Miss, citing scheduling uncertainty.
Also a concern that's as yet unadressed - if Notre Dame rotates each team on an even slate every five years, it still creates a gap, as there's only 15 opponents. However, Boston College and soon-to-be ACC member Pittsburgh are already regular Notre Dame opponents.
For more on Notre Dame's move to the ACC, visit One Foot Down, and visit From the Rumble Seat for news on Georgia Tech. For even more news, notes and analysis from around the country, head over to SB Nation's college football news hub.