Notre Dame Fighting Irish football legend Jerome Bettis opens up on Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, 12-game home-and-home series | Sporting News

Jerome Bettis took some time away from the driving range ahead of the 2025 American Century Championship on Thursday to talk to some members of the media.

I got to ask The Bus his thoughts on the Clemson Tigers-Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalry that will run from 2026 through the 2038 season, and he was complimentary of Dabo Swinneys program.

When I asked what he thought of joining the ACC full-time, since other scholarship sports are already in that conference, Bettis confidently asserted the Fighting Irishs independent status.

Well, obviously it's a great rivalry.

Two of the best teams in the country.

Whenever you get an opportunity to have a rivalry like that, it's beneficial for both sides.

So I think it's going to be huge.

For Notre Dame because as an independent, you have to keep the best teams on your schedule.

And that solidifies a really good football program on the schedule for a long time.

and I think that's nothing but beneficial for the Irish, Bettis told me.

I think they need to be independent.

What they're doing is perfect.

I think they are still able to compete and I think that's the one question.

If they couldn't compete with the changing landscape with college football, then you would consider it, but that's not the case.

You see them competing at the highest level.

I think that they're fine.

Bettiss sentiment was similar to Joe Theismanns on Wednesday.

I asked Theismann what he thought of the Clemson series and about whether its a natural segue to full-time ACC membership and got similar messaging from a fellow alumnus.

I think it's exciting to have new rivalries, Theismann said.

As I said, the conferences continue to change.

USC and UCLA in the Big Ten.

Who would have thought that three, four, five years ago? And having a home-and-home series with Clemson is exciting.

It's a great program.

Terrific school.

They've done a terrific job there.

And for us to be able to continue to be an independent and play in different conferences, this is something that needs to happen.

And we're certainly going to be up to the task, I can tell you that.

You know, I don't know what Pete's going to do out there.

I'm not sure what decisions the university wants to make regarding joining the conference or not joining the conference.

Like I say, I think we're very comfortable where we are.

Certainly you're always going to consider it.

You consider the possibilities.

Economically, when you think about the economics that a university gets, it isn't like the program, the football program or basketball program gets it.

Everybody benefits.

The educational part of it is so vitally important.

The different departments are given an opportunity to be able to expand with what they're able to do with the student body.

Notre Dames all-time gridiron greats are in lockstep about what the Fighting Irish need to do.

In an era of mass conference realignment, Notre Dame remains aligned top to bottom on its own..

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