Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a notable statement, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this selection,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been egregious,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The response is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s special position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Speculative Moves
Yormark also highlighted the support the ACC offered Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable going after 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. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable 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.
