Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a public rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial 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 process,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been egregious,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark also remarked the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a bowl game after missing out this year.
