Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’

At a strong rebuke, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally 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 all other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.

“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this process,” the athletic director remarked.

Miami ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over several weeks showing its support for Miami.

A Strong Response

Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“My opinion is that his conduct has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”

The criticism is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.

Historical Support and Speculative Moves

Yormark further remarked the support the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.

“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “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 partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday seem 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 bowl game after missing out this year.