Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a public statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does 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 selection,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The response is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark also remarked the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
