Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a notable criticism, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant 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 stated.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media push over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner also remarked the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership less likely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
