Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a public criticism, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this selection,” the athletic director remarked.
Miami ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback 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 Moves
Yormark also remarked the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have stated they will decline a postseason invitation after missing out this year.
