Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public rebuke, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this process,” Bevacqua remarked.
The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media effort over several weeks showing its support for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Moves
The commissioner further remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.
