Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a strong statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this selection,” Bevacqua stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been out of line,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public criticism is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark also pointed out the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable going after Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they plan to decline a postseason invitation after missing out this season.