Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a strong statement, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant 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 selection,” Bevacqua remarked.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Speculative Moves
The commissioner also highlighted the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
