Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a strong criticism, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion 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 make an effort to try to hurt us in this procedure,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark also pointed out the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
