Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public criticism, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this process,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct meeting between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media effort over several weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his behavior has been egregious,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner further highlighted the support the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong 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 plan to decline a postseason invitation after missing out this season.
