Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a public statement, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public criticisms about 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 argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great 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 process,” the athletic director said.
Miami eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over several weeks indicating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been out of line,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public response is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Future Rumors
The commissioner also highlighted the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in 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 reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
