Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this procedure,” the athletic director said.
Miami eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media effort over several weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership less likely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a postseason invitation after missing out this season.
