Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong rebuke, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful 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 undermine us in this process,” Bevacqua remarked.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over several weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Response
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Moves
Yormark further pointed out the support the ACC offered Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership unlikely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
