Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a notable statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial 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 selection,” the athletic director remarked.
Miami ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct matchup between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media effort over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Response
Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been egregious,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark also pointed out the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move highly improbable in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
