Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful 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 damage us in this selection,” Bevacqua stated.
Miami eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the direct meeting between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Rumors
Yormark also highlighted the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
