Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a notable statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director remarked.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct meeting between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Future Rumors
The commissioner further highlighted the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing 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 strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a move highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they will decline a postseason invitation after missing out this year.
