Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a notable rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner asserted that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this selection,” the athletic director said.
Miami eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media effort over several weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Response
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been egregious,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner further pointed out the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a move highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they will decline a postseason invitation after missing out this season.