Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we offer 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 selection,” Bevacqua remarked.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct contest between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over several weeks showing its support for Miami.
A Strong Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially significant 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
Yormark also pointed out the support the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
