Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a strong statement, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.
“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this process,” the athletic director stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark 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 criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Future Moves
The commissioner also highlighted the support the ACC offered Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario unlikely in the immediate future.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this year.
