Blue roundup: Will Notre Dame remain independent?

In going independent, BYU has looked at Notre Dame as a role model.

As college football undergoes a seismic shift with talk of widespread conference realignment, could the Fighting Irish drop their independent status?

There are several reports that say that Notre Dame would be better off joining the Atlantic Coast Conference. Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel writes, "If I’m Notre Dame today, and I see the Big East in mid-implosion, see that the ACC has essentially left a spot for me (temporarily) and see the long-term demographic trends for the Midwest, I’m spending the afternoon having a long, soul-searching look in the independence mirror."

SI.com's Andy Staples says that Notre Dame is the big prize in conference realignment.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 seems to be hanging together by a thread, with Texas and Oklahoma soon to determine that league's fate. Will one or both join the Pac-12? Meanwhile, could the Big 12 and the Big East merge?

BYU's former conference, the Mountain West, is keeping very busy these days. The league is hoping that TCU stays, while it is also looking at a possible merger with Conference USA. Commissioner Craig Thompson has been talking to some Big 12 schools that could be homeless if the Big 12 collapses.

In other news, has BYU cornerback Corby Eason provide some bulletin board material for the Cougars' upcoming opponent, Central Florida?

Watch this humorous video about tackling skills produced by BYUtv.