Big 12 Conference Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong criticism, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes eventually secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the direct contest between the two programs. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a targeted social media campaign over several weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” the commissioner commented. “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 response is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s unique role. He serves 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
The commissioner further remarked the support the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
