Barry Alvarez wanted a series between Wisconsin and Notre Dame

Notre Dame may not be a member of the Big Ten, but its schedule has traditionally had its share of Big Ten opponents, and it looks as though Wisconsin was a Big Ten school that was interested in joining the fray.

Following the Big Ten meetings in Chicago on Wednesday, Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told the Chicago Tribune that he had been hoping to get a series scheduled between the two schools.

"I've talked to Jack (Swarbrick) about it," Alvarez told the Tribune. "And I thought there were some other Big Ten schools that may take a couple-year hiatus, and I was trying to get us involved. But we just never could work anything out. I'd like to have them scheduled."

One of the schools that has been rumored to be looking to take a break from Notre Dame was Michigan . Michigan and Notre Dame currently have an agreement to play every season, but if either school wants to put an end to the annual meeting, they must give the other school three years notice.

Michigan's Dave Brandon says that, for now, there are no plans in place to end the series.

"What I personally know at this point is that we're going to play for the next three years," Brandon said. "I don't have any control over what Notre Dame may be thinking moving forward beyond that. And the world is changing pretty rapidly. All I can assure you of is we're going to play them the next three years.

"Once we play them this year, it will be another three years. It's kind of an 'evergreening' contract, that we're going to keep playing them with a three-year commitment, but that can change if conference realignment occurs, if there's a number of different variables that occur. That would be something both schools would have to look at."

So unless Notre Dame were to give up its independence and join a conference like the ACC or Big 12, or the Big Ten expands further, it seems that the series will continue.