Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a strong rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous 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 procedure,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially striking given Bevacqua’s special role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark further remarked the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have stated they will decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
