Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua stated.
Miami ultimately earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over several weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark further highlighted the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
