Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a strong criticism, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot 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 go out of your way to try to undermine us in this process,” Bevacqua said.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique standing. 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 Speculative Rumors
The commissioner further pointed out the support the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
