Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish maintains 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 pushing for the inclusion 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 go out of your way to try to damage us in this selection,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly striking 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.
Past Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner also pointed out the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
