Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a strong criticism, Brett Yormark asserted that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this procedure,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the direct matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media push over several weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
Yormark also highlighted the support the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they will decline a postseason invitation after missing out this year.
