Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a strong statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this process,” the athletic director remarked.
Miami eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been egregious,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s unique role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Rumors
The commissioner further pointed out the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
