Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid 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 significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this selection,” Bevacqua remarked.
The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami.
A Strong Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior has been egregious,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Moves
The commissioner also highlighted the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
