Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a notable rebuke, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public criticisms targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we offer 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 ultimately secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the direct meeting between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference 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.
“My opinion is that his actions has been egregious,” Yormark said. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The response is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Moves
The commissioner further highlighted the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth 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...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they will decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
