Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public rebuke, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner also pointed out the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this year.
