Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a strong criticism, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” the athletic director stated.
Miami ultimately earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his conduct has been egregious,” the commissioner 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 significant given Bevacqua’s special role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Speculative Rumors
The commissioner further pointed out the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors 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 scenario highly improbable in the immediate future.
The Irish, who made the CFP championship game last season, have stated they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.
