Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a strong rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this procedure,” the athletic director said.
Miami eventually received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the direct meeting between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media effort over several weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The response is especially striking given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Moves
Yormark also remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario less likely in the near term.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
