Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a public criticism, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this selection,” the athletic director stated.
Miami ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC conducted a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner further highlighted the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the immediate future.
The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.
