Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a notable statement, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we offer significant 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 selection,” Bevacqua said.
Miami eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior 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.”
The pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark also pointed out the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable going after Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.
