With rumors swirling about the Big Ten's likely expansion, Notre Dame is brought up quite a bit.
And when those affiliated with the Irish talk about the idea of being part of conference, the tradition of football independence is high on the list of why Notre Dame will only join a conference if it has to.
Now, Notre Dame appears to be on the verge of brining back another tradition.
The Irish appear to be closing in on getting Miami back on their football schedule, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Notre Dame and Miami are close to a deal to play an off-site game at Soldier Field in 2012 with a future home-and-home series also on the table, according to the report.
The Soldier Field game fits into Notre Dame's model of playing one netural site game. The Irish will play Army at Yankee Stadium this season, and they travel to Washington D.C. to take on Maryland in FedEx Field in 2011.
The game in Chicago would likely be followed by games in 2014 and 2016, according to The Associated Press.
The hot rivalry from the 1980s would be a great tradition to bring back to South Bend and South Florida.
The series has produced some great moments in college football lore including the "Catholics vs. Convicts" T-shirts the Irish students wore and the brawl in the tunnel.
And the games weren't bad either.
Miami trounced Notre Dame 58-7 to close the 1985 season, which irked some who thought then Hurricanes coach Jimmy Johnson ran up the score and was the last game for Gerry Faust as Notre Dame's coach.
The Hurricanes won the next encounter two years later 24-0 en route to an undefeated national championship season, only to have Notre Dame get a measure of revenge with a 31-30 home win over Miami that ended the Hurricane's 36-game regular-season winning streak.
The Irish's one-point victory had the controversial Cleveland Gary fumble and helped lead them to their last national football title.
Miami returned the upset loss in 1989 as it knocked off No. 1 Notre Dame, and the Irish won the final game between the two teams beating the Hurricanes 29-20 in 1990.
