Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a strong criticism, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide 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 procedure,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the direct contest between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been unacceptable,” 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.”
The criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Rumors
The commissioner further remarked the support the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
