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So goes the start of another round of conference realignment chatter, the Big 12 and SEC starting their own bowl game and creating a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots in college football.

And, as this exercise goes, here come the questions about the status of Notre Dame's football independence.

Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick quickly shut those down to The New York Times' Pete Thamel, saying: "We don't think it has significant near-term consequences for Notre Dame."

And, at the moment, I think he's right.

Yes, there looks to be a dividing line in college football more and more now. And, yes, it's not exactly clear which side Notre Dame falls on. But assuming the game's four-team playoff future keeps the door ajar for schools that haven't won their conferences, it's not like Notre Dame's path to playing for a national title becomes much harder with the creation of the Champions Bowl. And, as SI.com's Stewart Mandel notes, there will only be fewer obstacles for Notre Dame -- still a huge brand name -- to sign its own deal with another marquee bowl.

The only thing I can say with any real comfort is that should the day come when Notre Dame does need to relinquish its football independence, the ACC probably won't be first on speed dial anymore. (Colleague Mark Schlabach suggests that ACC commish John Swofford should now call Swarbrick immediately.)

The Big East doesn't look better today than it did last week, and the Irish-to-Big 12 possibility will gain some steam. But it's hard to envision Friday's news forcing the school's brass to say that jumping aboard a conference based 1,000 miles away is in the best interest of its 21-sport athletic department. And as Swarbrick told Thamel, this wasn't exactly out of nowhere.

The landscape of college sports has and will continue to change. How Notre Dame fits in is part of the narrative, but the end is probably still several chapters away.

Who made names for themselves this spring? Glad you asked.

RB/WR Theo Riddick: Riddick seemed more comfortable this spring, as the learning curve from playing two different positions is all but gone and he is ready to make plays. The senior stood out during several intrasquad scrimmages. If Riddick can be an effective punt returner this fall, he can be the complete package for the Irish.

WR John Goodman: It's not often you see a fifth-year senior on lists like these, but Goodman, as coach Brian Kelly said, was the Irish's go-to guy this spring, and he served as an offensive captain in the Blue-Gold game as a result of being the unit's most improved player. No longer in the shadow of Michael Floyd and with one last chance to succeed after being invited back for another year, Goodman is primed for a breakout season this fall.

NG Kona Schwenke: Like Goodman, Schwenke was a captain in the Blue-Gold game, winning most improved defensive player honors while temporarily supplanting Louis Nix from the starting spot in the middle. He added some weight and improved his handwork, and he figures to see plenty of snaps next season, regardless of whether or not he starts.

LB Ishaq Williams: Kelly revealed that Williams went home to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a few days in the winter to think about his future. He has apparently come back with a new focus, as the rising sophomore had a strong spring, filling in for the injured Prince Shembo at the cat position and coming up with a pick and a fumble recovery in the spring game.

LB Jarrett Grace: Playing time may be hard to come by -- he is, after all, backing up a likely first-round draft pick in Manti Te'o -- but Grace has made the most of his opportunities. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco loved him this spring, and, after redshirting his freshman season, Grace figures to spell Te'o every now and then this fall while also seeing duties on special teams.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges stemming from an incident in which police used pepper spray to subdue him after an off-campus party.

Rees, who turns 20 next week, is charged with one count of battery, two counts of resisting law enforcement and one count of illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor. South Bend police say Rees kneed a police officer in the chest after he ran from the party early May 3 after officers arrived.

The court appearance was brief, lasting less than a minute. Rees arrived shortly after 8:20 a.m. local time, sat in the front row for several minutes before his attorney, George Horn, summoned him to appear before Magistrate Brian Steinke without his name being called. Rees didn't speak during his appearance. He met briefly with Horn afterward in a room next to the court, and they left together without speaking to reporters.

Rees, who remains free on $250 bond, is due back in court July 17.

Read the entire story.

Best spring game performance: Everett Golson, considered the biggest mystery in the four-man quarterback battle entering the spring, was 11 of 15 for 120 yards and two scores. He carried it six times for 25 yards. Most importantly, he was the only quarterback to not turn the ball over.

Best overall unit: The running back/slot receiver group coached by Tony Alford is loaded with talent. Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III made big play after big play in the spring game (though Atkinson will have to protect the ball better after fumbling twice). We all know what Cierre Wood is capable of after a 1,000-yard season while splitting carries with Jonas Gray in 2011. And we might even see a bit of Robby Toma in the backfield, though the senior remains an invaluable pass-catcher for the Irish.

Best position battle: Other than under center? Let's go with the right side of the offensive line, where Mike Golic Jr., Nick Martin and Christian Lombard look to have the inside track for the two open spots.

Biggest surprise (good): John Goodman raised some eyebrows with his play this spring, earning most improved player on the offensive side of the ball and getting to be a captain for the spring game. Coach Brian Kelly said he's been the go-to receiver this spring, and Goodman wants to reward the staff's faith in him after he was invited back for a fifth year.

Biggest surprise (bad): Aaron Lynch has transferred to South Florida, leaving the Irish down a man on the defensive line. Kapron Lewis-Moore, a previous starter, will slide back into Lynch's role, but the loss of an elite pass-rusher who had no trouble bursting onto the scene as a freshman is a blow to the team.

Following consecutive 8-5 campaigns, Notre Dame entered this spring with a re-shuffled staff, a wide-open quarterback competition and arguably one of the nation's best defensive lines.

So, uh, about those three new assistants ...

"I love the energy out there, I love what I'm hearing in terms of teaching," head coach Brian Kelly said April 4, roughly halfway through the spring. "Guys are teaching and I can hear it. So for me it's exactly what I need to hear from our coaches. There's a lot of teaching going on, there's a lot of energy. So for me I feel really good about going out to practice, and what I hear I really like."

Nine days after that comment, defensive end Aaron Lynch announced his decision to transfer, eventually ending up with Notre Dame alum Skip Holtz at South Florida. A series of cryptic Twitter posts by nose guard Louis Nix in the days after Lynch's departure unsettled an already-uneasy fan base, and Nix's admittedly honest public comments afterward about having missed his Florida home did little to quell Irish fans' worst fears.

Then came the spring game, Everett Golson's coming-out party. The rising sophomore quarterback completed 11 of 15 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, adding 25 yards on six rushes. Most importantly, he was the only of the four quarterbacks to not turn the ball over.

If that wasn't enough for Golson to improve his chances of starting in 2012 -- Kelly said afterward that he had trouble getting plays in on time -- the events of May 3 certainly did.

Tommy Rees, the only of the four signal-callers with starting experience, was charged with four misdemeanors as a result of his arrest at an off-campus house party. Police said that they had to use pepper spray to subdue Rees, who faces two counts of resisting law enforcement, in addition to minor consumption and battery.

So begins an offseason whose storyline, like last year's with Michael Floyd, will be dominated by an off-field run-in by a big-name player. Rees is due in court May 17, but his status with the Irish remains up in the air. Discipline of any kind -- even an offseason suspension -- would strongly diminish his hopes of taking the first snap Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland.

Kelly said after the spring game that the guy to emerge as the starter will be the one who commits to all the details in the summer. Golson and Andrew Hendrix — in addition to early enrollee Gunner Kiel — would be in much better positions to do that should Rees be dealt a ban. Regardless, leadership issue becomes an obvious question in light of the arrest.

Whoever does start should have plenty to work with in proven playmakers like Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick and Tyler Eifert. He will also be protected by an experienced offensive line, which returns four players with starting experience.

Linebacker Manti Te'o, who passed up NFL millions this offseason, returns to lead a defense that should still be strong enough up front, though a depleted cornerback corp could have benefited from playing behind an elite pass-rusher like Lynch.

A season that begins overseas is still four months away, but the drama attached to the hip of the nation's most polarizing program has only increased with spring ball in the rearview mirror.

The odds of Notre Dame appearing in the BCS title game have fallen from 22-1 to 25-1 following the spring season. Whether the Tommy Rees situation will affect that line again remains to be seen. For now, our Travis Haney takes a look at how the Irish's title odds may have taken a hit , along with five other teams that have changed Vegas' (or the bettors') minds lately. (Odds courtesy of Bovado.)

A better starting point for the Irish might be the odds to get into a BCS game for the first time since 2007 (and that bludgeoning at the hands of LSU). What's fair there? 10-1? 12-1? Somewhere in there?

This BCS title number could have shifted in the past few days, in the wake of Tommy Rees' arrest. Then again, the Rees issue could help Notre Dame's odds, seeing as how redshirt freshman Everett Golson was the standout in the spring scrimmage. But until Golson gets some real game action, it's impossible to know whether he's the real deal -- at least enough to start factoring it into the Irish's season expectations. The same goes for George Atkinson, who wowed fans with 124 yards in the spring game. But he rushed for just 27 in 2011.

Among other factors, such as pesky things like enough talent and depth, it's unlikely that the Irish could skate through their schedule -- one that includes Oklahoma, in addition to mainstays such as Michigan and USC -- without a setback or three.

The Irish's 2012 opponents haven't done much this spring to affect their standing one way or another: Oklahoma has jumped from 18-1 to 10-1, but Michigan has fallen from 18-1 to 25-1.

Colleague Ivan Maisel's story on this week's postseason meetings in South Florida has a phrase so natural that it may as well be ingrained in the college football lexicon. Most other stories regarding BCS changes include some version of it as well.

"The 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick …"

That sound you hear is the sigh of relief from every Irish fan with an attachment to the program's history in the national landscape. The relevance of Notre Dame football, often called into question, might never be on display more than it will be this fall. In addition to playing regular rivals Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford and USC, the Irish will open their season against Navy more than 3,000 miles away in Dublin, Ireland; will face old rival Miami (Fla.) in Chicago; will host independent brethren BYU and will travel to Oklahoma to play the perennial Big 12 favorite. Notre Dame will also host Pitt, which might be playing its final season in the Big East.

For those counting, those are opponents from five of the six automatic-qualifying conferences, in addition to two of the nation's other three independents. The games will be played in three of this country's four time zones, in addition to the opener in Dublin, which is five hours ahead of local time in South Bend, Ind.

Notre Dame has its own television deal with NBC. Most of the program's road opponents will likely push for a night start against the Irish, who are a draw everywhere they go. Hence, the phrase that will continue to be thrown around as details of this week's meetings emerge.

"The 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick …"

Swarbrick and head coach Brian Kelly spoke at a dinner Saturday at the Joyce Center, and, naturally, the subject of the BCS, and specifically Notre Dame's fit in it, came up.

"The goal and priority is to remain independent (in football)," Swarbrick said, according to Notre Dame's sports information department. "What the postseason becomes is the lynchpin. There's still one chapter to come as far as conference realignment and that will come after these BCS discussions. These are an important three-and-a-half days (of meetings) this next week in Florida. (The result) will have a significant impact on us one way or another."

Colleague Travis Haney pointed last week to the paradox Notre Dame faces in years like this one — managing a potentially damaging on-field slate while refining its brand. The goal every year, however reasonable or unreasonable, is to earn a berth in a BCS bowl, something the Irish need a top-eight finish to clinch while others must win their conferences. Of the many potential models for postseason change, one limiting a playoff pool to conference winners presents the biggest obstacle for Notre Dame.

Thus, weeks like these are important for Notre Dame, not ready to show its hand. Could that hand be forced, marginalizing the program as another Midwestern power in a conference full of them (Big Ten)? Could it move to another stable, expanding conference, clutching some of its broader appeal and easing its BCS path but surrendering the all-encompassing allure of Notre Dame Football (ACC)?

The answers, like most everything else when it comes to change in this sport, will reveal themselves slowly over the coming months. So long as that reassuring phrase keeps popping up in print and online, Notre Dame fans can breathe a little easier, their collective seat at the table momentarily secure.

"The 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick …"

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- From the stands, one could imagine the minor sigh of relief Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly exhaled upon Everett Golson's 19-yard touchdown pass to Theo Riddick in the second quarter of Saturday's Blue-Gold game.

It came after the defense forced another turnover, after Golson fumbled the drive's first snap and after the sophomore quarterback seemingly ran in circles before drawing a facemask penalty on Kendall Moore.

"The quarterback position, as I mentioned to you before, is the art and science," Kelly said. "In putting both the art and the science together, he's very creative. The art part he's got down. It's the science and the consistency, all of those things to be a championship quarterback."

Two drives earlier, Kelly was likely the only one among the crowd of 31,582 to control himself as George Atkinson III took a short pass from Tommy Rees, juked Cam McDaniel and made 19 yards out of nothing.

Because two plays later, the running back mishandled a pitch from Rees and turned it over for the second time in the first half.

Golson, the great unknown of this four-man quarterback derby, finished 11 of 15 for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He carried the ball six times for 25 yards. He was the only quarterback to not throw an interception.

Atkinson, whose electricity was on display during kick returns last season, rushed for 124 yards on just 15 carries, and added 54 receiving yards on three catches.

"Both of those guys are exciting, electric players," Kelly cautioned, "but they are a heart attack for me."

So goes it for the Irish at the end of the spring season. They put up 500-plus yards of offense in five games a season ago, but ranked 118th in turnover margin. They entered fall camp last season with a quarterback controversy, and they also ended it with one.

Few clues could be gathered from Saturday's spring game -- in which the defense defeated the offense, 42-31, for those counting -- as the offense netted 551 yards but turned it over six times.

Rees took the game's first snap, played five drives, completed 7 of 14 passes for 84 yards and tossed a pick to Matthias Farley. Andrew Hendrix came next, connecting with Tyler Eifert for a 25-yard score and eventually playing four drives. He was 4 of 9 for 51 yards, rushed for 13 yards on a pair of carries and threw a pick right over the middle to Ishaq Williams.

Gunner Kiel started the second half, completed his first pass for 11 yards and was promptly picked by Chris Salvi on the next play. The freshman played the entire third and fourth quarters — which were eight minutes apiece with running time — and went 5 of 10 for 57 yards, adding 15 yards on three carries.

"I think we saw some things that we haven't seen before in terms of ball placement," Kelly said. "Then we saw some errors that, unfortunately, are all too familiar. So, I think there were some strides made, but clearly we're not there yet. We've got a lot of work to do with all the quarterbacks to get them to the level that we want. And we have a high bar set for them."

Kelly mentioned having seen the same movie before with Rees' and Hendrix's picks, specifically saying that Rees needs to know that "zero" is OK on third down, especially in drop-eight situations. He said the offense can't run everything with Kiel after just 15 practices to work with him.

And he said Golson needs to do a better job of getting plays in quicker, a fact the signal caller acknowledged goes a long way in earning the staff's trust.

"You never really know which way the play's gonna go with me and George," Golson said of himself and Atkinson. "That's because we're just not consistent: One play we're making a good play, one play it's a fumble or turnover, so I think just being more consistent on the positive end will help us out."

Added Atkinson: "There's so many things I can work on. I don't think I did that well today, personally. I still need fundamentals, basically. Just work on fundamentals and taking the coaching and everything else."

Atkinson said he doesn't want to give his staff a roller-coaster ride when he's on the field. Having a man under center who can protect the ball will go a long way in easing the blood pressure of everyone in the huddle and on the sideline. But an answer there isn't coming anytime soon.

"The guy that really commits to the details this summer is probably one of the guys that's going to start it," Kelly said. "So if you can go to any of those voluntary workouts, then let me know. I'd be happy to field that when I'm on the golf course. Just text me if you have that opportunity. The point is all of them have a lot of work to do. We'll see who does a great job this summer."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Former Notre Dame defensive end Aaron Lynch, who left the team earlier this month, requested to be released only to South Florida, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com Friday.

Read the entire story.

Staring death in the face, new Notre Dame assistant coach Bob Elliott refused to give in. Diagnosed with Polycythemia vera in 1998 while with Iowa, he told few about it, instead working every day of the Hawkeyes' worst season in two decades before having a bone marrow transplant.

Years later, he's still coaching and inspiring the people around him.

Click here for the rest of Matt Fortuna's story.

Talk about a bad start to Friday the 13th.

Aaron Lynch is gone from the Notre Dame football program, the Irish's best pass-rusher electing to take his talents back home to Florida upon semester's end. (Speculation is that South Florida could be the beneficiary. Coach Brian Kelly said he won't hold Lynch back, though he didn't say if Lynch would have an unconditional release.)

What started with an excusal from practice last Wednesday and Kelly denying that Lynch quit the team ended nine days later with the head coach beginning a last-minute press conference moments after Lynch's release by saying: "As you know, Aaron Lynch has quit the football team."

"I think whether I was at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati -- the dynamics are the same as it relates to your team and making sure that there's a standard across the board," Kelly said. "And I think there is a point where, listen, 'You're either in or not.' Like in recruiting, we're laying our cards on the table: Here's who we are, you know what I mean? This is what you're going to get when you come.

"We're not going to come in and say, 'You don't have to live in the dorms.' No, you've got to live in the dorms. We don't say, 'It's easy in the classroom, don't worry about it.' We don't say, 'Hey, don't worry about it, it never snows here' ... though it doesn't seem like it snows here much anymore. But the fact of the matter is when you're opened up like that, then you have to be that same way within the program, and we wish him the best."

The loss for the Irish defense is immeasurable. Seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries show the mark of a great defensive end. Throw in that Lynch did all this as a true freshman despite admittedly being far from the most coachable player upon arrival, and it's easy to see why Irish fans were excited about the defensive line for the next two years with Lynch as the anchor. (Yes, he is talented enough to go pro after three years.)

More troubling, however, is the lack of momentum that this team has been unable to sustain for nearly two years now.

Close out 2010 with four convincing wins ... give the ball away 10 times in two losses to open 2011.

Stock up on blue-chip prospects for the 2011 recruiting class ... and lose Deontay Greenberry, one of the team's biggest recruits, to Houston on national signing day.

Regain some punch with the late commitment of Davonte Neal ... and lose Tee Shepard, Greenberry's cousin, after he enrolled early.

Gain six commitments in a four-day span following Junior Day ... and watch one of the most talented defensive players in years leave the program a week before the spring game.

The Lynch-is-unhappy saga picked up plenty of steam this spring, some of it probably unwarranted early (he's not the first to dislike South Bend weather) before his early Easter break-departure for home caused a minor panic among the Irish's fanbase.

A return to school this week momentarily calmed everyone's nerves, but in the end, as Lynch had not been afraid to say publicly, the Florida native's marriage with Notre Dame was far from compatible.

"It was his third semester as a mid-year guy," Kelly said. "I think more of it was during this stretch of January, February, March. And again, some of it is, you've got a guy that is young, and you want to see him mature and then you know where you hit a point where it's not about growing up, it's about where your heart is, so that's where we got to this point in the decision.

"But during the season's easy, as you know: you play games, you know what I mean? So that keeps you fired up, and when he got in here as an early enrollee, it's the anticipation of playing and then the unknown when you go to Notre Dame, so I think it was after he got through the season. Then, where's your head at? And that's how we got to a decision."

Notre Dame defensive end Aaron Lynch has left the football team and will transfer to another school following the spring semester, the school announced Friday morning.

Read the entire story.

ESPN Sport Science takes a closer look at why Notre Dame's Michael Floyd is one of the top wide receivers in the 2012 draft class.

Travis Haney debuted this week on ESPN.com, and his first piece looks at potential impact newcomers this spring .

Not surprisingly, Notre Dame quarterback Gunner Kiel makes the five-man list.

To date, there has been more chatter about Kiel's winding road to South Bend -- first Indiana, then LSU, then Notre Dame -- than his potential impact in 2012. Expect the focus to gradually shift, though, toward the January enrollee's ability.

Where does he stand in relation to other suitors such as Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix? Impossible to say this early, but Kiel is at least in the conversation, and that's saying something. Perhaps it says as much about the Irish's need for an emergent quarterback as anything else (only five teams threw more INTs in 2011 than the Fighting Irish).

It takes maturity to play as a freshman, clearly. Kiel passed one of his first tests on that front: When quizzed by reporters for the first time since enrolling, he did not jab back at LSU coach Les Miles after a spurned Miles had questioned Kiel's leadership potential. Instead, Kiel said the comments would be used as motivation.

Kiel is the only quarterback on Haney's list.

The third and final part of our breakdown of Notre Dame's 2012 roster wraps up today with the special teams.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The (key) players: Kyle Brindza, Ben Turk, Jordan Cowart, Theo Riddick, John Goodman, George Atkinson III, Amir Carlisle, Austin Collinsworth, Chris Salvi, Nick Tausch

The incoming: Scott Daly

The breakdown: New tight ends coach Scott Booker is now in charge of special teams, though the entire staff will take a more hands-on approach following a 2011 campaign in which the Irish averaged 0.3 yards per punt return before the bowl game. In addition to kickoffs, Brindza will likely be the Irish's field goal kicker as well following the loss of David Ruffer. Turk improved as the season went on last season and figures to be the starting punter again. Atkinson returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns last season and may see more action in the backfield this season, so it remains to be seen if his duties could be extended to the punt return game as well. Same goes for Collinsworth, who was solid on both the kick-return and kick-coverage teams but will likely see extended time at safety following the graduation of Harrison Smith. Carlisle is out for the spring with a broken ankle, but he returned kicks for USC at times last season and could possibly be a factor on either return team.

Riddick's struggles returning punts last season are well-documented, but the staff likely isn't ready to give up on the big-play potential of which he is capable. Goodman had the sure hands and was basically back there last season as a safety net to prevent anything bad from happening, and the Irish hope that won't be needed again this year. (Goodman is in line to play a bigger role offensively, too.) Salvi earned a scholarship for being such a force on both kickoff teams, and Daly is the second scholarship long-snapper in school history, likely backing up Cowart this season before taking over the reins in 2013.