Notre Dame again without Big East bowl game ties in 2013

Notre Dame will not be included in Big East bowl tie-ins in 2013, according to a tweet from Big East senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli. It was announced on Monday night that Notre Dame’s non-football sports teams will begin playing in the ACC in 2013, but the lack of bowl ties is not related to that. It’s actually the second straight year that the Irish won’t have the benefit of bowl tie-ins below the BCS level.

Previously, Big East bowls such as the Russell Athletic have had the option to pick the Irish over Big East teams in certain years. However, when the Russell Athletic Bowl (then Champs Sports Bowl) picked Notre Dame in 2011, it meant they couldn’t select them again for the remainder of the BCS era as it’s currently constituted, leaving the Irish without a bowl tie-in below the BCS.

When Notre Dame agreed to move to the ACC, the football program retained its status as an independent, but would play five ACC teams every year. The ACC has yet to announce whether Notre Dame would be included in their bowl tie-ins in the future, but it seems like some type of agreement is a likely outcome. However, for this upcoming season, the reality for Notre Dame is once again either make it to the BCS, or hope another conference doesn’t fill their bowl slots.

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