Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial 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 process,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Speculative Moves
The commissioner further pointed out the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
