I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread, but I wanted to bounce this question of you all. Recently, it seems like the "Notre Dame needs to join a conference" discussion points really escalated - to the point where it was obnoxious - while Freeman and ND were making their CFP run. I found it to be particularly annoying because Notre Dame being an independent isn't some new or enlightening discovery in college football. They've been playing ball for 100+years and all of a sudden you're going to slam your fist on the table and demand that Notre Dame join a conference!
Nevertheless, you can argue the strength or weakness of Notre Dame's schedule till you're blue in the face.
That said, wouldn't you argue or assume that by not being in a conference, it makes the schedule that much more challenging for Notre Dame? More specifically, aside from the annual rivalries (USC and Navy), you're likely not as familiar with your opponent. LSU know what's happening (coaching, roster, scheme, etc.) with Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, etc. Michigan is keenly aware and knows how to scheme for Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State. Alabama is locked in on what's happening with LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, and so forth...
Notre Dame has some familiarity with a few schools, but playing new teams or having a gap in scheduling a team (Purdue for example), theoretically, would make it more challenging to prepare. You can certainly argue that it goes both ways (i.e., the opponent also is facing the same difficulties in preparing for Notre Dame), but routinely playing multiple teams that you haven't faced or schemed for in quite some time must be taken into consideration as challenging. Notre Dame hasn't played Miami in what...6 years? Arkansas? Have they ever played? Boise? See Arkansas. NC State is pretty sporadic I'm sure. I could be wrong, but it seems like it has been a few years since ND played BC?
I'm no football coach, but an independent that lacks familiarity with an opponent or generally isn't facing the same teams year in and year out seems very challenging in my opinion. The conference proponents (and it isn't just the "SEC...SEC...SEC" types) seem to disregard that or not take it into account at all.
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