Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a public rebuke, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does great 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 damage us in this process,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the direct contest between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media push over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been egregious,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Rumors
Yormark also highlighted the support the ACC offered Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's public comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
