Swarbrick says Notre Dame nearing a decision on new television deal

Now that Notre Dame knows it will still have access to college football's four-team playoff the school can begin to take care of other business matters. Business like the school's television contract with NBC.

Notre Dame's current contract with NBC runs through 2015 but athletic director Jack Swarbrick told the Chicago Tribune that the school is nearing a decision on what to do with its next contract.

"We've had a series of meetings, we've exchanged information, and I think we will have a decision to make probably within the next 30 days about all of that," Swarbrick told the Tribune. "That's probably the range we're in...Don't hold me to 30 (days), but it's in that window."

As for the length of any new deal, Swarbrick isn't quite as sure that a long-term deal like the 12-year deal for the playoff is what's best for Notre Dame, saying that the school would be "prepared" to do it but that it's not his "first choice."

Swarbrick also made sure to point out that this deal is not about NBC versus any other options that may be available to Notre Dame, but rather when to strike the deal.

"The world of college sports broadcasting rights has been so hard to predict and has moved so quickly, it's just one of the things you ask yourself when you're entering into a more than a decade-long deal. Do we think we're catching this at the right time? We have the luxury of not having to do it right now, so would we wait?"

Given how quickly things have changed in college football in the last two years with conference realignment and now the playoff, it's hard to blame Swarbrick for being concerned with a long-term deal.

It's not an easy choice. Notre Dame can either enter into a new deal now while networks seem to be throwing money at any college football programming, only to risk missing out on a better deal two years from now, or the school can wait and find itself offered less money in 2015.

I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make it.