Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a notable statement, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public criticisms targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this procedure,” the athletic director stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The criticism is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s prominent 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 Context and Future Moves
The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario unlikely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
