The power shift in college sports isn't ending anytime soon with realignment and expansion talks circulating nonstop. The Pac-12 Conference looks to be dissolving, and now Stanford and Cal have explored other conferences and even received interest from the ACC. Notre Dame apparently made a push to bring these two programs to the ACC, although it got hit with some roadblocks on Wednesday night.

Now, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick opened up on why they were making the effort to try to lure Stanford and Cal, per Heather Dinich of ESPN.

‘ND AD Jack Swarbrick told me the reason they advocated for Cal and Stanford was because “The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play D1 sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics.”‘

Stanford and Cal don't offer much on the football or basketball front, at least as of late. However, the academic appeal is surely appetizing for other conferences, and getting some of the West Coast market is another bonus.

But, those talks hit some snags, and now it remains to be seen what the future holds for both the ACC and Pac-12. Notre Dame is in the ACC in essentially every sport except for football, where they remain independent, so it makes sense for the new Irish AD to make a push to bring them to the conference.

The Pac-12 Conference has four programs remaining, and it's only a matter of time before they go elsewhere.