Big 12 Conference Chief Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a notable criticism, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this procedure,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark further highlighted the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after missing out this year.
