Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner asserted that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s chances to make 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 provide 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 stated.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark also highlighted the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they will decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.