Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead 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 couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this selection,” the athletic director said.
Miami eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. 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 Speculative Moves
Yormark also highlighted the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
