Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a strong statement, Brett Yormark asserted that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director said.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the direct contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Future Moves
Yormark also remarked the assistance 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 said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a bowl game after missing out this year.
