Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this process,” the athletic director stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Later 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 unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is totally 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 especially notable given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner further highlighted the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
