Notre Dame, the bowls just can’t quit you, baby.

Here’s more of what settling things on the field is going to look like, post-BCS style:

Notre Dame officially confirmed discussions with the ACC about entry into the league’s anchor bowl game in the new college football postseason landscape, which is perhaps a slight departure from athletic director Jack Swarbrick’s initial vision of flexibility in bowl destinations.

“Since the development of the new plan for post-season football, the ACC and Notre Dame have had discussions relating to the Orange Bowl,” spokesman John Heisler said Monday. “While presidents have been consulted, the discussions have been between ACC conference staff and Jack.”

You should see this as the ACC’s version of the Champions Bowl alliance.  As such, it’s a brilliant move.  It makes the Orange Bowl relevant from a marketing standpoint – and don’t forget, the ACC controls that now.  It also forges a tie with the school that every conference wants.

That the game itself will often match little more than a couple of better than average teams, at least based on recent history, pales in comparison.  People will watch.  And that’s the kind of performance that’s the coin of the realm these days.