1. We will have a better chance to reach the CFP. Yes, the 13th data point is important. We can overcome 1 loss by winning the ACC playoff.
2. We are in the ACC for virtually all other sports, so it is right and logical that we include football.
3. We could schedule ourselves out of the CFP in 2022 and 2023 by playing both Clemson and Ohio St. We are almost guaranteeing at least one loss in each year by doing that.
4. This leads to the problem of a one loss ND team getting into the CFP. Other teams will have one more game, so they could be 12-1 to our 11-1. Coupled with our track record of getting crushed in playoff games, guess who the committee will choose.
5. If we run the table, we could get in, but that's a very tall order on a yearly basis. So by beefing up our schedule with the big boys, we could schedule ourselves out of the CFP.
6. Our old rivalries have lost their attraction. USC needs us; we don't need them. Michigan has lost their luster. Stanford is declining and who cares about Navy and the other mediocre Big Ten teams. It's time to put them in the rear view mirror, as well as our fatuous, infatuation with remaining an independent forever.
7. Times have changed. If we are serious about winning national championships, the ACC is the way to go.