Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett sacks Notre Dame quarterback Steve Beuerlein during the Crimson Tide's 28-10 victory in 1986 at Legion Field. (The Birmingham News / Bernard Troncale)
TUSCALOOSA -- A future Alabama-Notre Dame football game, possibly at a neutral site, has been the subject of casual discussions, officials at both schools say.
The preliminary talk appears to be more than wishful thinking but far from becoming reality.
"Is it a deal we would like to see? Yes," Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick said Monday.
"Will we be able to? That's a lot less clear."
Notre Dame's contract with NBC and the Southeastern Conference's contracts with CBS and ESPN present obstacles. Notre Dame is committing to play seven home games, four road games and one game at a neutral site in future seasons. NBC owns the rights to the neutral-site games through the end of its contract, in 2015.
Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore says 2012 would be the earliest a game against Notre Dame could be arranged.
Alabama has played regular-season games at neutral sites in each of the past three seasons: vs. Florida State in 2007 at Jacksonville, Fla.; vs. Clemson in 2008 at Atlanta; and vs. Virginia Tech this year in Atlanta.
Moore said Jacksonville, New Orleans and New York could be possible sites for a game against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame played Washington State two weeks ago in San Antonio. Next year, the Fighting Irish will meet Army in the first football game at the new Yankee Stadium in New York on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It will play Arizona State in 2013 at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium.
Moore's discussions have been with John Heisler, Notre Dame's senior associate athletic director in charge of media and broadcast relations and a former colleague.
Heisler acknowledged the conversations and said he has passed the talk along to
Swarbrick, who became Notre Dame's athletics director in August 2008.
Swarbrick said he plans to talk to Moore.
"I do want to explore the possibilities," Swarbrick said. "I don't want to create any optimism about it, not because it's not a good idea but just because of the scheduling complications."
Moore said he would be open to scheduling a home-and-home series with the Fighting Irish.
"I think all combinations are viable: neutral site, home-and-home and home-and-home accompanied by a neutral-site game," Swarbrick said.
Last time: 1987

Alabama and Notre Dame have met six times, with the Fighting Irish winning all but one. They have played twice in bowl games, twice in South Bend, Ind., and twice at Legion Field.
"Any time these two teams have played, it's been more than an ordinary football game," Heisler said.
The schools have not met since 1987, when Alabama lost 37-6 at South Bend. Alabama's only victory came the previous year, when it won 28-10 at Legion Field.
The first two games between the tradition-rich schools were in the 1973 Sugar Bowl and the 1974 Orange Bowl. Third-ranked Notre Dame won that Sugar Bowl, defeating top-ranked and undefeated Alabama 24-23. The following year, Alabama also was undefeated and was ranked No. 2 when it lost to ninth-ranked Notre Dame 13-11.
Moore has ties to both schools. He played and coached for Alabama under coach Paul Bryant and coached at Notre Dame from 1983 to 1985.
"I think he's interested in finding out one more way Alabama and Notre Dame could play at least one more time before he retires," Heisler said.
Swarbrick is a 1976 Notre Dame graduate.
"He can appreciate the meaning of Alabama-Notre Dame games, because at the time he was in school, they played in those bowl games," Heisler said. "Can things like that be recreated? It's an ongoing process."
Swarbrick said television isn't the only obstacle.
"Everybody's maximizing their home games with nonconference games," he said. "For instance, Oklahoma State's schedule this year has eight home games and four away games.
"We're in an odd position. Conferences want to get their nonconference games out of the way the first few weeks of the season. We have a lot of traditional opponents we play
then."
Swarbrick is open to many neutral sites as possibilities.
"Because of the nature of the two schools, I can't imagine anywhere you could play an Alabama-Notre Dame game where it wouldn't be enormously successful," he said.