Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a notable statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this process,” the athletic director stated.
Miami eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct meeting between the two programs. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC conducted a targeted social media effort over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been out of line,” the commissioner commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Moves
The commissioner further highlighted the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
