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But there is little chance of that. "I've talked to Notre Dame so much that if you gave me a dollar for every time I've had a conversation with them about being a part of our (football) league, I could probably retire," Tranghese said. "But Notre Dame has said consistently that they put a high degree of importance on being a football independent."

In basketball and most other sports, Notre Dame has been in the Big East since 1995. As a football independent, it doesn't have to share TV or bowl money. Plus, the Irish are eligible for a BCS game if they have at least nine wins and are sixth or better in the final BCS standings. Through a deal with the Big East, Notre Dame also can be picked by the Gator, Insight, Continental Tire or San Francisco bowls.

Though Tranghese has been criticized for such an alignment with Notre Dame, he said that the arrangement "has helped us get better bowls."

Notre Dame's trustees nixed a football-and-all-other-sports move to the Big Ten in 1999. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has said his league "would not be proactive" in approaching Notre Dame again.

There is speculation the ACC will go after Notre Dame as a 12th member. Said ACC Commissioner John Swofford last week, "Everybody talks with Notre Dame periodically, but we haven't talked with them about this recently, not for months."

Notre Dame associate athletics director John Heisler told the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune on Monday that there is no push in the department to explore relinquishing its status as a football independent.