Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a notable criticism, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring 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 ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public response is especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent position. 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 Rumors
Yormark further remarked the support the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership less likely in the near term.
The Irish, who made the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they are declining a bowl game after missing out this season.
