Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a notable statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Tension
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“They does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this process,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Response
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his actions has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
This public response is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Support and Speculative Moves
Yormark also pointed out the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark'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 announced they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.
