Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a notable rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the spot of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.
Miami ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media effort over several weeks indicating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been egregious,” the commissioner said. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s unique role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Future Moves
The commissioner further remarked the support the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership less likely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.
