Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a public rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer substantial football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been unacceptable,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Moves
The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after missing out this season.
