Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a notable statement, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we offer significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this process,” Bevacqua stated.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC conducted a targeted social media campaign over several weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The response is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special role. He sits 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 Speculative Rumors
The commissioner further pointed out the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.