Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a strong criticism, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous 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 stated.
Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been egregious,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner further highlighted the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario less likely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have stated they will decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.
