Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a strong statement, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous 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 remarked.
Miami eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark further pointed out the support the ACC offered Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.
