Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a public rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this procedure,” the athletic director remarked.
Miami ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his actions has been egregious,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
The pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Moves
Yormark further highlighted the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after missing out this season.
