Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a strong rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner asserted that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full 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 campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this process,” the athletic director stated.
The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been out of line,” the commissioner commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The response is especially significant given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner further remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they are declining a bowl game after missing out this season.
