Paul Finebaum Makes Bold Claim About Notre Dame's Future

Paul Finebaum thinks Notre Dame's time as an independent football team is nearing a rapid end.

Realignment and expansion is the hottest topic in the world of college football, and all eyes are on the Fighting Irish. Will they join the Big Ten or will they fight to remain independent with a fat NBC media deal?

Well, the face of SEC football on ESPN thinks the clock is ticking on an inevitable decision to join a conference.

Will Notre Dame join the Big Ten? (Photo by Douglas Stringer/IconSportswire)

"The media thinks it has it right about Notre Dame that they’re set and sitting pretty. Notre Dame, I think, is going to find out that there’s only so far they can milk NBC. What if they get the reported $75 million from NBC? So what? They’re still an independent and they’re still not going to win a national championship as an independent," Finebaum said during an appearance on "McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning."

Is Notre Dame joining the Big Ten inevitable? (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The SEC football fan favorite further added that he thinks Notre Dame joining a conference is almost certainly going to happen.

"I think ultimately (that) Notre Dame is going to bite the bullet and get into a conference. It’s just going to take time. There’s nobody out there, other than maybe (Notre Dame AD) Jack Swarbrick, who probably knows when that is," Finebaum explained.

Paul Finebaum thinks Notre Dame will eventually join a conference. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Right now, fans are waiting on pins and needles to see what happens with Notre Dame. If the Fighting Irish remain independent, expansion and realignment might be paused for the time being. It won't be paused indefinitely, but there could be a cooling period.

As I talked about on Outkick 360 last week, if Notre Dame jumps to the B1G, we're going to see an arms race nobody could have predicted or prepared for.

Clearly, Finebaum thinks the Fighting Irish will eventually join a conference, and the B1G is by far and away the most logical choice.

Now, when will it happen? Will it happen sooner than later? The answer to that is nobody knows, and anyone who claims they know is probably lying.

Will Notre Dame join a conference? (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Make sure to keep checking back for the latest updates on Notre Dame as we have them! Everyone is locked and loaded to embrace whatever carnage hits college football next!