Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’

At a notable rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his remarks targeting 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 actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.

“They does 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 damage us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.

Miami ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct contest between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC conducted a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.

A Strong Response

Later on Tuesday, Yormark 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 method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

This public response is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s special position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame.

Past Context and Speculative Moves

The commissioner also remarked the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference 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 rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”

Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move highly improbable in the immediate future.

The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.