Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
In a public rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two schools. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been out of line,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner further pointed out the support the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
