Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a strong criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant 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 stated.
Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The response is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Moves
The commissioner also highlighted the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who made the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
