Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a public criticism, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent comments about 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. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great 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 damage us in this procedure,” Bevacqua stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the direct contest between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over several weeks showing its support for Miami.
A Strong Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been out of line,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The response is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s unique position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Speculative Rumors
The commissioner further highlighted the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
