Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances 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 tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this selection,” Bevacqua stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over several weeks showing its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his actions has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public criticism is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s unique position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Rumors
Yormark further highlighted the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“It has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a move highly improbable in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a postseason invitation after missing out this year.
