Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
During a notable rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter 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 undermine us in this process,” Bevacqua stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a targeted social media effort over several weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Speculative Moves
Yormark further pointed out the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term.
The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this year.