Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this process,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media push over several weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Speculative Moves
The commissioner also remarked the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
