Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public statement, Brett Yormark asserted that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been egregious,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The criticism is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner further remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
