Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a notable rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to enter 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 bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this procedure,” the athletic director stated.
Miami ultimately received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC conducted a targeted social media push over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark 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 method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner also remarked the support the ACC offered 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,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who made the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
