Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a public statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent criticisms targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide 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.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the direct contest between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Future Moves
The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread 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.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
