I somewhat agree though I would compare ND to U of M and Ohio State and not Alabama athletically. The Tide only supports 17 varsity sports it looks like - 7 men and 10 women's. One could argue that Alabama (and most of the SEC) first and only focus is football with some basic additional sports offered (basketball, baseball, and track) along with Title IX mandates. U of M sponsors 27 varsity sports - 13 men, 14 women. Ohio St offers 37 (holy shi!) - 18 men, 19 women. ND sponsors 24 - 12 men, 12 women. Those are football first schools, too; but, they do take other sports seriously and sponsor a true athletic department.
PS - UConn offers 22 varsity sports - 10 men, 12 women, which is comparable to the B1G and way out of alignment with the SEC along with XII and AAC.