They are going to have to fully join a conference because they're not going to be able to get into the CFP otherwise. Two of the spots go to SEC teams. The other two are going to the other four P5 conference champs. The only way ND even has a remote chance to get in is if they go undefeated and the conference champs have 2 losses. A one loss Ohio State team that wins the B1G for example will get in over an undefeated ND and that's the problem for them. If ND is happy playing in lesser bowls to remain independent for half of their season then fine, but not being in a conference hurts them when it comes to picking the four CFP teams.
ND will not join a football conference unless and until the playoffs are legally mandated as P4 conference champs only.
Jack Swarbrick is on record saying this. Otherwise, it will be the status quo for ND going forward.
It is well aware of the bolded text in your post and is good with where it now sits. ND has known this for several years. Its answer is to try to make its schedule harder, not easier as Kelly suggests.
Here is what Swarbrick said just last July about ND football schedules in the playoff era:
"On scheduling at large,
Swarbrick appears content with Notre Dame’s slates when married to the College Football Playoff contract that runs through 2025. The way Swarbrick sees it, Notre Dame needs a data point against at least four of the five Power 5 conferences if it’s going to make the field without a perfect regular season.
“
We want markers against the major conferences,” Swarbrick said. “We’ll always have a Pac-12 marker, we’ll have two every year. More often than not we’ll have a Big Ten marker. We’ll always have an ACC marker.
"The focus was trying to build some SEC markers into the schedule with A&M, Georgia and Arkansas. We’ve been able to do that.”
Swarbrick talks future football schedules
He also said this last July:
"
There will be years where not having a conference championship works against us. We understand that, we factor it into our calculus. But, given the schedules we’re building, I’ll be very comfortable arguing most years that our 12 games compare favorably with everybody else’s 13. When you say a 13-game schedule is superior to our 12-game schedule, you have to compare all the games. We’re building schedules that I think will stand up to that comparison well. They’ll be very tough to navigate. No one will ever accuse us of backing in with the schedules we’ve built for the future."
Q&A with Notre Dame AD: 'No reason we can't compete for national championship'
So, again. Brian Kelly has no say or authority over football independence or scheduling. He does not speak for the university on those issues, Jack Swarbrick does.
I would not get too worked up over anything Kelly says on this subject.
