Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent criticisms concerning 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 hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this procedure,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been out of line,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The response is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark further highlighted the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
