Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong statement, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter 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 make an effort to try to hurt us in this process,” the athletic director remarked.
Miami eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Response
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” the commissioner said. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public response is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner further remarked the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have indicated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
