Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer significant 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 said.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct meeting between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC conducted a targeted social media push over several weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his conduct has been egregious,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Speculative Moves
Yormark also highlighted the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable going after the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership less likely in the immediate future.
The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
