Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a notable statement, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide 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 stated.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct contest between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark said. “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 especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Rumors
The commissioner further pointed out the support the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this year.