My perspective is ND has plenty built in disadvantages in the modern era and the self-imposed ones need to be reviewed with heavy scrutiny. Academic standards, transfer rules, alleged friction of paying HC top dollar, never going to be the top NIL school, etc.
We haven't won a title in 40 years, and so while none of these in isolation are back breakers, why would we not examine every thing in our control to give us an advantage?
Things in our control that don't need to work against us: Honoring opponent's referees, playing Navy because of one man's promise made a lifetime ago that's been repaid 10 fold, forfeiting a home game with USC (our biggest recruiting weekend) to a neutral field to keep the peace, the dorm situation (unsure if this is truly an issue), and I'm sure I'm missing some.
To ND's credit, they seem to be paying assistants really well, and the new construction will keep us up with the Jones's. So it's not all doom and gloom but there are still things in our control at our disadvantage.