Saturday's game between Notre Dame and Ohio State could have an impact on who makes the College Football Playoffs, but what about conference realignments? Will Notre Dame football ever join the BIG10? 

For decades the question has been 'what if?'

Notre Dame has enjoyed football independence for over a century but with big time conference realignment happening recently the question has changed to when?

The timing couldn’t be more fortuitous. The Irish get a taste of Big Ten play when they face Ohio State in the season opener.

"I think what we’ve seen now is a consolidation of power into two conferences, so many of the stories has been what will Notre Dame do and discussing Notre Dame's significance," Swarbrick said.

Swarbrick maintains that Notre Dame is in a great spot.

"All of this dynamic has reinforced that a lot of the decisions that have been made over the years, have placed Notre Dame in a very good position, and that’s my biggest takeaway," Swarbrick said.

While the rest of the Lego pieces come together, the Irish sit and wait happily.

"All the commentary was 'Are we relevant anymore?' This year, no one is asking that question." Swarbrick said.

As the question has shifted from 'What if?' to 'When?' maybe the question we should be asking is 'Why?'

What we do know is that it's good to be Notre Dame and, at least for right now, that independence is golden.