Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a strong statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant 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 procedure,” the athletic director stated.
The Hurricanes eventually secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Moves
The commissioner also pointed out the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
