Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his criticisms 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 other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this process,” Bevacqua stated.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC conducted a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s special position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark further remarked the support the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move less likely in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
