Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a public statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this process,” Bevacqua remarked.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been out of line,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s special role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Rumors
Yormark further highlighted the support the ACC gave 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,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.