Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a notable criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish 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 enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark 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.”
The pushback is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s special position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Rumors
The commissioner further highlighted the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
