Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we offer substantial football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this procedure,” the athletic director said.
Miami eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC conducted a targeted social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark said. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Moves
The commissioner further remarked the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they will decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
